


At First Click

by extraordinary, matsuoka-lin (extraordinary)



Series: Pining For Gold [2]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Get-Together Fic, Homophobic Themes, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-07-15 07:13:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7212988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extraordinary/pseuds/extraordinary, https://archiveofourown.org/users/extraordinary/pseuds/matsuoka-lin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Matsuoka Rin — renowned Olympic (silver) medallist, barely 23 years old, and resident poster boy for the Japanese National Swim Team — is harbouring a teeny, tiny little crush on the irritatingly mysterious Blue7SE.</p><p>(Otherwise known as "Porn Site AU", FYI.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Click

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Renkakirai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renkakirai/gifts).



> **THINGS TO EXPECT:** FWB!Haruka/Nagisa (it's complicated), with endgame Haruka/Rin (eventually). LOTS OF PORN. Some pining, too. PORN. Switching. MORE PORN. Homophobic themes. NO CHEATING/HEARTBREAK, though! 
> 
> I'm including a lot of images/fake screencaps in this story — if they don't load for you, for whatever reason, please leave me a comment to let me know. I'll try to fix it ASAP.
> 
> P.S. To help everyone keep track of Rin's team mates & co-workers, I've shared a list of them on my Tumblr account [**here**](http://matsuoka-lin.tumblr.com/private/147492092343/tumblr_oaerifMaMv1r251cb). I'm not confident enough to create _that_ many OCs on my very first go at it, and I also truly enjoy imagining how Rin would fit in the real world — so those two things are basically the reason behind _At First Click_ being set during real events, involving real people. ;)
> 
> OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: I MEAN ABSOLUTELY NO HARM BY MENTIONING THESE PEOPLE'S NAMES AND PAST EVENTS. It's all in good fun, OK?

_**Saturday, June 15, 2013:** _

It's 0:56 AM.

This leaves Rin with less than five hours to try and get some much needed shut-eye. And none of his usual methods have even gotten close to doing the trick so far. Including that one trusty breathing technique that has _never_ let him down before.

Shit.

He's going to be so... fucking... screwed... in the morning, isn't he...?

With an irritated groan, Rin rolls over onto his side and blindly reaches for the phone he'd left teetering — pretty damn precariously, at that — on the edge of his bedside table. Once he's successfully located it (and has managed to equally precariously prop himself up on a bent elbow), unlocking the start-up screen is a comfortingly familiar motion. But launching the browser, activating the keyboard function, and then lightly tapping the address bar in order to select the "X"-key (which, in turn, immediately pulls up a list of suggested websites) is decidedly _not_ part of his evening routine. _At all._

In fact, it's so unusual for Rin to visit this particular website that it takes him an embarrassingly long time to remember his X-SPOT username. And the matching password, for that matter.

Once he's managed to securely log into his account, though, he finally allows himself to check out the most recently added videos on the main page. A whole slew of ridiculous titles, such as  **IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND I'LL CUM IF I WANT TO** and **BUSTING MY LOAD IN THE WOODS** , eagerly vie for his attention there. And, as he'd grudgingly come to expect (after years of browsing free pornography online), not a single one of them manages to catch his eye. Not even the particularly hilarious sounding **I LOVE OTTERS** all the way at the bottom of the page.

Undeterred by his initial lack of success, Rin simply opens up the **[FAVOURITE VIDEOS]** section under his profile tab and selects one of his all-time favourites instead. It's (quite aptly) titled **MY COCK** , and had been uploaded to Kenta29's channel roughly three years ago; right around the time Rin had first discovered X-SPOT's very existence, to be precise. The title of the video is admittedly just as lame as all the others on the site — and with its 3:17 minutes it's a frustratingly short thing, as well — but the breathy noises escaping the fit-looking Japanese guy featured on-screen never fail to coax Rin into full hardness by the end of it.

That's kind of why it's one of his absolute _favourites_ , y'know?

Shifting into a slightly more comfortable position on his side, Rin automatically slips a hand underneath the elastic waistband of his sweatpants and gives his growing erection a couple of encouraging strokes. It's a little on the dry side, to be honest, but the drag doesn't bother him enough to warrant fishing the bottle of lotion (and a bunch of tissues, for good measure) out of his bedside drawer just yet. He's far too busy watching the extremely confident Kenta29 show off his long legs and toned physique to the camera, anyway.

Rin actually isn't into the idea of casual sex with a stranger at all, to be honest, but he's pretty sure he wouldn't mind inviting this Kenta29 guy out to dinner nonetheless. They could get to know each other a little better first, right...? It'd be pretty nice to find out what kind of stuff they've got in common (if any). And where they'd like things to go (if anywhere). There's nothing wrong with taking things slow, is there?

Nah.

They'd figure it out. Together.

_Well._

If only _'Matsuoka-senshu'_ — renowned Olympic medallist ( _multiple ones_ , to boot), and resident poster boy for the Japanese National Swim Team — had any hopes of ever convincing anyone to put up with his relentless training schedule, that is. Not to mention the perpetual need for secrecy. Which is kind of the whole reason he's even watching this right now, isn't it? It's just so easy to pretend he actually _knows_ this guy already. And, subsequently, to imagine that he'd been sent this video privately.

It's all so embarrassingly clear in Rin's head: Kenta is a couple of years older than him, has a little more experience in life, and doesn't mind showing a rookie like Rin the ropes at all (because Rin's a damn quick study, if nothing else). They do their best to maintain a fulfilling long-distance relationship, occasionally exchanging nudes and short little videos in an attempt to bridge the miles between them. Rin has finally found someone he can let his guard down around, if only just a little bit, and he's prized for simply being who he is.

It's _perfect_.

In the privacy of his bedroom, it isn't even that hard to let himself believe Kenta really _is_ making a show of stripping off his underwear to please — and tease — him. Not at all. So, that's exactly what Rin _does._ And he's actually gotten incredibly good at it over the years; because he's rock hard and positively aching by the time Kenta has finished undressing himself. _For Rin_.

True to form, though, the video reaches its end far too soon.

Biting the inside of his cheek in frustration, Rin finds himself impulsively opening up one of the suggested videos listed underneath the comment section of **MY COCK**. The tiny thumbnail doesn't look particularly promising, though. It's just a blurry shot of a boyish-looking, milky pale twink (in an absolute eye-sore of a bright yellow sweater) riding a slightly obscured partner.

No, the thing that had managed to unexpectedly catch his attention is the rather unusual title: **HERE'S ANOTHER WITH BLUE7SE FOR YOU GUYS!!!!  
**

The next thing Rin notices about the video in question is that it had only been uploaded — by a certain Pengin4U (whatever the fuck _that's_ supposed to mean!) — a little over a week ago, but it has already managed to collect an impressive amount of votes and comments. The whole thing is a respectable 19:20 minutes long, as well, and there's a short-but-sweet description of its contents:

Undeniably intrigued, Rin hits the **[PLAY]** button.

Pengin's camera appears to have been set up on a bedside table of some kind. It's focused on the headboard of a single, steel framed bed. Blue(- _chan..._ )'s lean profile is sitting up against the pillows, in a pool of navy-coloured sheets, and he's wearing a pair of faded grey briefs that hadn't been there in the preview image. The angle of the camera only reveals the lower half of his face. Even so, it's easy enough for Rin to discern the guy has a very strong jawline, a rather smallish mouth, and dark hair that seems to just about cover the back of his neck and the very tips of his ears. His chest is completely bare. And he's absolutely _stunning_.

He's not nearly as toned as Rin is, of course, but very few people outside of the world of professional athleticism ever _are_ (and Rin isn't that into bulging veins and/or muscles, anyway). Either way, this guy is definitely something else.

He might even be a little fitter than Kenta29.

Spellbound (and then some), Rin avidly watches Pengin's utterly mesmerising _'Blue-chan_ ' lazily palm himself through the fabric of his underwear. Until Pengin, himself, smoothly enters the frame and lightly bats those openly hedonistic hands of his away.

Despite the fact that Pengin4U clearly isn't really Rin's type, exactly, the little menace is still pretty damn easy on the eyes. He's got light blond hair that curls slightly at the tips (which is a good inch or two longer than that of his so-called roommate, and could undoubtedly be gathered into a very fetching little pony tail at the very back of his head if required). He's wearing the same yellow zip-up sweater Rin'd already spotted in the thumbnail, and a pair of pyjama bottoms that look way too big on him: pale blue ones, with some type of marine animal pattern printed practically all over them.

Rin half-suspects the awful monstrosity belongs to _Blue_. Who is quickly turning out to be a good deal taller than the nimble little Pengin. And quite clearly doesn't have a single drop of '-chan' in him at all.

Unlike Blue, though, Pengin doesn't seem to be all that fussed about showing his face in front of the camera (even if some of it inevitably gets hidden by his hair as he makes himself comfortable in between Blue's spread legs). He also has no trouble tugging Blue's underwear down and fitting his broadly smiling lips around the freshly exposed cock in front of him. Like he's done it a hundred times before. Or _a million times_ , even. And the way Blue automatically reaches down to cooperatively brush Pengin's messy fringe out of his eyes certainly speaks volumes, as well.

As if drawn there by a magnetic field of some kind, however, Rin's eyes immediately hone in on Blue's undeniably impressive erection. It's impossible for him to make out any real _details_ , of course, but it kind of looks like it's a nice — fairly average for his presumable age, by the looks of it — size: neither too big, nor too small. Its head appears to be a little pinker than the base (with a deliciously flushed looking glans), and the whole thing's a little curved towards his stomach. It's an extremely attractive looking cock.

It's also very, very, _very_ hard.

And to top things off: Blue's pubic hair is very neatly trimmed. Just the way Rin likes it best.

 _Fuck_.

Rin's just about gone for this guy already, isn't he...? He's really got to remember to bookmark Pengin4U's channel at some point. And spend a little time digging up every last video featuring Blue7SE, while he's at it. 

The sight of Blue's rock hard length is actually starting to make Rin feel a little dazed, to be honest, and the hand down his pants is already mimicking the rhythm of Pengin's bobbing head completely of its own accord by now (even though Rin is undoubtedly going to regret his decision to forgo the lotion soon). To make matters even worse, he's having quite a bit of trouble recalling a time he'd ever seen two X-SPOT members move together as naturally as Pengin4U and Blue7SE do. Pengin just seems to know exactly how to coax Blue into twitching and squirming in appreciation, you know? Except, there's absolutely nothing one-sided about it. There's a definite — 100% _genuine_  — give-and-take going on, there.

It's all so very playful, yet also surprisingly tender and heartfelt, and they look so incredibly comfortable with each other. And they're only just getting _started_ , aren't they? It's kind of making Rin feel (more than) a little envious, to be honest. In an absurdly turned-on kind of way.  
  
A good six-and-a-half minutes into the video, though, Pengin suddenly decides Blue's gorgeous cock has had enough of a warm-up. He lets it slip free from his shiny lips with an unnecessarily loud _'pop!'_ , unabashedly wipes his mouth clean with the back of a hand, and then promptly crawls into Blue's lap. Clearly unsurprised by this turn of events, Blue easily welcomes Pengin into his arms with a fond little kiss to the very tip of his nose. And then he makes short work of removing Pengin's pyjama bottoms (and the pair of alarmingly pink boxers he'd apparently been wearing underneath them), before kicking his own briefs off. For good measure, most likely.  
  
Once they're both completely naked, Pengin eagerly gets comfortable in his new perch while Blue retrieves a small bottle of lubricant from somewhere in between the pillows behind him. And for the next couple of minutes, Rin attempts to — just as eagerly, really — commit every single second Blue spends blindly preparing Pengin's ass to his memory: the pair keeps trading ridiculously sweet little eskimo kisses throughout the entire thing, affectionately touching the very tips of their noses together in between short little breaks where they don't appear to be capable of doing anything other than simply breathing into each other's open mouths.  
  
And unsurprisingly, their first real kiss effortlessly steals Rin's breath away.  
  
It's just so slow, so tender, and so loving — and so very _distracting_ — that Rin nearly misses the telltale way Pengin shifts his hips to align himself with the tip of Blue's cock. He doesn't fully clue into what's happening on-screen until the backs of Pengin's thighs have already met the front of Blue's (and there isn't an inch of space left between their bodies anymore). And it takes Rin a ridiculously long time to realise he can now make out a little more of Blue's attractive face, too.

Fucking hell.

This guy is positively _unreal_.  
  
And the smooth, seemingly effortless way Pengin's body has taken in Blue's cock is making Rin's head spin a little, as well. A breathless noise suddenly fills his bedroom, then, and Rin honestly has no idea which one of them had been the one to make it. It hadn't sounded like the kind of noises _he_ usually makes, that's for sure. But that hardly means it hadn't been him, either.  
  
Meanwhile, Pengin has apparently decided it's high time to take things up a notch. His movements, though, couldn't be further from the things Rin'd unconsciously been expecting of _'bareback'_ and _'riding into the sunset'_. No, they're much closer in nature to the languid little kisses he's still trading with a contently humming Blue. Pengin just seems to have melted right into Blue's loose embrace, really, and has begun sinuously moving his hips back and forth to an inaudible beat.

It's surprisingly gentle, too. There's nothing hurried or demanding about it. He's just barely undulating his pelvis, real slowly, without moving _up_ or _down_.

Whatever it is that Pengin's doing, it's undeniably graceful and intimate. It almost looks like he's preforming some kind of sensual belly dance routine for Blue (and the audience), who isn't at all shy about showing his appreciation by alternating between massaging the small of Pengin's supple back and encouragingly grabbing handfuls of Pengin's pert little ass. The guy seems to really thrive under Blue's roaming hands, too. And, eyes squeezed tightly shut in concentration, he gradually ups the pace until their tame dance eventually resembles something far more seductive and carnal.

Rin, for his part, hasn't been this aroused in a long time. A long, long, _long_ time.

He's never actually had more than a pair of his own — shamefully trembling — fingers up his ass, but his belly instantly floods with warmth at the mere fantasy of getting to ride someone like Blue just like this. _'Into the sunset'_ , and everything.

Blue'd know exactly what to do to make it all feel really good, wouldn't he? For _both_ of them, that is. Rin's absolutely fucking certain of that. The guy just kind of appears to have an inexhaustible supply of self-restraint, y'know...? He's clearly 100% content to let Pengin call all of the shots. And he hasn't _once_ tried to rush things along (the way Rin has seen plenty of amateur porn stars do to lithe little things like Pengin), either. His hips never even buck upwards in an instinctive attempt to leave the mattress, either.

He's so very patient.

Agreeable.

And _attentive_.

Although he does eventually rid Pengin of his awful, headache-inducing sweater. And then, when he's finally done chucking the atrocious thing to the floor, he briefly whispers something hot and incredibly intimate-looking into the corner of Pengin's perpetually smiling mouth. It's neigh-impossible for Rin to make out any of the words without turning the volume up (which isn't really an option for him, at the moment), though, but it had obviously been a spontaneous endearment of some kind. Maybe even something _stronger_.

Even so, the striking duo continues to be surprisingly quiet. For a pair of hot-blooded individuals shooting a home-made video in one of their very own bedrooms, that is.

Rin can't help but wonder if they're being mindful of the neighbours (or, perhaps, another occupant of their shared residence). Pengin _does_ tend to let out a breathy little whimper every couple of seconds, but Blue always seems to be right there to swallow any particularly loud ones up. With a hungry, open-mouthed kiss. Or two. Of his own.

 _Oh._ Blue might've accidentally _slipped up_....?

At the very least, it'd explain why Pengin — who kind of strikes Rin as a very vocal and noisy individual, if nothing else — hadn't responded to Blue's whispered little comment in any way at all. Verbal, or otherwise. And it'd also account for the fact that the two of them hadn't exchanged a single word up until then (a good sixteen-and-a-half minutes into what Rin can only describe as _lovemaking_ , no matter what the _'friends-with-benefits'_ -tag is so desperately trying to sell him).

Neither of them seems particularly bothered by the fact that Blue'd broken character, though. Perhaps it's some kind of game for them, then? A _challenge_. It could even be a feature of all their videos together, for all Rin knows.

Either way, Rin is hooked: Pengin4U and Blue7SE have got him completely wrapped around their joint little finger. The realisation that he's kind of beginning to develop a tiny little online crush on Pengin's _'Blue-chan'_ — as shallow as the thing may be — is not an entirely unexpected one, either. It'd probably been inevitable, really. The title and the description of the video he's watching definitely suggest Rin is far from the only one with a particularly strong interest in Blue7SE, after all.

And this is, of course, the moment Pengin decides to start riding Blue. In earnest.

Blue's splayed palms as good as immediately settle themselves on Pengin's hips in response, encouragingly stroking and lightly squeezing the skin they find there (without attempting to impede _or_ control any of Pengin's movements), while Pengin rapidly blinks his eyes and throws his head back. It's all still unexpectedly _gentle_ , and as unhurried as two healthy young guys steadily approaching their orgasms can possibly be, but there's no denying it: they're teetering on the very brink of outright fucking now.

Pengin manages to keep it up for an admirably long time, too. His climax finally hits him, without his cock ever having been touched, roughly eighteen minutes into the video. The first two spurts of his powerful release seem to land square in the middle of Blue's chest, and the rest gradually dribbles down in between their bodies. It's a little hard to make out, though. But he's moaning just a touch more openly than before, now, even if Blue's hungry mouth goes a long way to muffle the majority of the noises he's making.

Thighs visibly trembling with the effort required to keep moving right through the peak of his own pleasure, Pengin stubbornly refuses to slow down until Blue follows him over the edge — with a barely audible groan of his own (that unsurprisingly goes straight to Rin's groin, of course) — at 18:56.

Rin finishes a split-second later, himself, abruptly shooting his load all over the inside of his sweatpants. " _Shiiiit_ ," He groans, hurriedly burying his face into the fleshy part of his upper arm in a fruitless attempt to stifle the involuntary noises bubbling up from his own chest. Which is kind of feeling a couple of sizes too small for his lungs right now, at best. "That was _insane_."

By the time he's capable of opening his eyes again, however, the video has already stopped playing. And he's missed the last 25 seconds of it.

_Damn it._

Cleaning up and changing into a clean pair of pants feels like an absolute drag, but Rin somehow manages to struggle through it. And once he's finally crawled back into the pleasantly crisp refuge of his bed, he rewards himself by watching the part of the video he'd missed. It's nothing spectacular, though. Blue had simply guided the mess of his and Pengin's tangled limbs down to the mattress, albeit very carefully, and had then proceeded to pepper Pengin's face with tiny little kisses until the image abruptly faded to black.

Rin suddenly feels a little lonely (despite the fact that he's just had one of the very best orgasms he's ever experienced).

On a whim — and, perhaps, in an effort to distract himself — Rin decides to leave Pengin4U a heartfelt compliment:

He'd hesitated (just a little) before hitting the **[POST COMMENT]** button — because the words his orgasm-addled and utterly worn out brain had supplied his fingertips with are roughly 300% more candid than he's accustomed to allowing himself to be — but in the end, he'd been unable to come up with a reason not to.

Where's the harm?

It's completely anonymous. No one — aside from _Sousuke_ , perhaps (who really has no business browsing gay pornography, in the first place) — would even recognise the username Rin'd chosen back when he first registered for an account on X-SPOT.

There's no risk involved here at all. _None whatsoever._

So, Rin bites the bullet. And then immediately logs himself right the fuck out (long before he can even begin to regret any of his uncharacteristic actions tonight).

It's 1:34 AM. By now.

He closes his eyes.

Sighs.

Waits. For his racing heartbeat to settle down. And for sleep to come and claim him. For a little while, at the very least.

And when his alarm goes off at 5 o'clock, that very same morning, Rin wakes up feeling surprisingly clear-headed and refreshed.


	2. And Every Click Thereafter

_**Sunday, June 16, 2013:** _

It isn't until well into the evening — at 9:13 PM, to be exact — that Rin discovers he's got a reply from Pengin4U waiting for him.

He _almost_ shrugs it off.

It kind of looks like it's just some weird form of self-promotion, doesn't it? Still, Rin's curiosity has definitely been piqued. And he'd been meaning to check out Pengin's other videos tonight, anyway. He'd only been looking forward to it the whole fucking day.

The decision is pretty fucking easily made, then.

Rin lightly taps the red link of Pengin4U's username (displayed at the very top of the message), and lets it take him to the main page of Pengin's profile. **PENGIN4U'S ACTIVITIES (79)** it says there. Underneath a surprisingly tasteful and unembellished header — for a _porn site_ , y'know?  — that appears to have simply been made up out of three loosely connected, black-&-white images. Each one of them shows a slightly different angle of Pengin's lithe, striking figure sprawled out across the sheets of an unmade bed.

Not bad.

Not bad at all.

Perhaps _'unembellished'_ isn't the best word Rin could choose to describe the impression the images leave him with, though. They _do_ kind of look like they'd fit right into a slightly risqué art exhibition of some sort. Even so, there's just something oddly unassuming about the way each of the shots is framed. Straightforward. Natural. Intimate. Honest. It kind of makes Rin wonder if, perhaps, they're not actually meant to be viewed in a sexual context at all (in spite of the obvious nudity of their subject, that is).

One thing is rather indisputable, however. Whoever took these photographs had clearly been someone Pengin is completely at ease with. Would it be too much of a stretch, then, to assume that the camera they'd been taken with belongs to _Blue7SE_...?

Maybe.

Definitely.

That doesn't stop Rin from making a mental note to try and find out more soon, though.

Either way, Pengin's profile offers a couple of welcome insights. Such as: Pengin will be turning twenty-three on August 1st, he's been living with Blue7SE in a seaside town in the Chuugoku region for the last four years (and has been an X-SPOT member for roughly half of those), and he identifies himself as _bisexual_. He's got a dizzying  3468 votes (good for a 91% _thumbs up!-_ ratio). He likes Rockhopper Penguins, _'Blue-chan'_ , and fresh-from-the-oven melon bread. He's quite a bit shorter, and lighter, than Rin. He loves making new friends — as long as they don't try to send dick pictures right off the bat, apparently — and fulfilling their requests, but is unlikely to respond to an invitation to meet up in person.

Pengin also has an impressive list of uploads attached to his name.

Seventy-eight videos.

There's _seventy-eight videos_ in Pengin4U's channel. That's a whole lot of porn, isn't it? Rin could watch one of these every single night, for weeks on end, and still not run out. For a very, very, _very_ long time.

And if he saved them as a well-deserved treat for the the weekends — like he'd sort of been planning to, incidentally — then it'd take him close to _a whole year_ to catch up with all of them.

Wow.

To top things off, Rin quickly discovers that the ridiculously high pornographic content isn't even the most shocking thing about Pengin's page. "What the fuck...?" He asks himself, completely involuntarily, as he gapes down at the screen of his phone in utter surprise. "That can't be right."

No.

It really can't be.

Seriously. That just can't be right.

 _Can_ it...?

There's got to have been a mistake of some kind. Rin is just about ready to believe he'd accidentally taken a wrong turn somewhere (and subsequently landed himself in a completely different universe altogether). Because Pengin4U's latest upload, for all intents and purposes, appears to have been _dedicated to him._

Wide-eyed, and feeling absolutely bewildered, Rin doesn't even bother to glance at the preview image before opening the video. And he hits the **[PLAY]** button as soon as a decent chunk of it has finished loading, too.

The video starts with Pengin's brightly smiling face. He's holding his index finger up to his lips in a universal _'Shhhh...!!'_ -gesture. Behind him, there's a traditional Japanese door. Pengin slides it open to reveal a modestly-sized, sparsely furnished bedroom. There's a neatly organised desk in the corner. Two large windows — with pale blue, loosely drawn curtains — provide a gentle, early-morning glow. Underneath one of these (and a thin, beige sheet), on a Western-style bed, there's a decidedly Blue7SE-shaped lump.  
  
The camera swivels back around to show Pengin's face again. His smile has widened (nearly impossibly so, at that). He appears to be approaching the bed. There's a brief pause. _Silence._ Then, as if he'd been doing an actual countdown in his head, Pengin abruptly dives — head-first, as a matter of fact — right underneath Blue's summer linen.

There's a sudden blur of colour then, until the auto-adjust of Pengin's camera manages to catch up with the wild movements of its owner.

Roughly five seconds later, Rin finds himself staring at a very erect — and vaguely familiar-looking, as well — cock. Blue's morning hard-on, he presumes. Unsurprisingly, it looks even better (and a little _bigger_ ) up close. The exposed glans is an attractive, deep shade of pink that contrasts rather nicely with the browner tones of the base and foreskin. It's a little shiny with slightly smeared pre-cum, too. And the sight of it instantly makes Rin's mouth water.

It also occurs to Rin, then, that:

  1. Blue sleeps without a single stitch of clothing on him.
  2. Even though the coarse hair at the base of Blue's cock has obviously seen a good trim recently, his scrotum (and what little is visible of the area between his spread legs) is conspicuously hairless. Blue keeps at least some parts of his lower body clean-shaven, then. _Nice._
  3. Pengin must be extremely familiar with Blue's sleeping habits.



The miniature whirlwind of a guy doesn't seem to have had any trouble pinpointing the most opportune moment for him to do some morning-wood-spotting in Blue's bedroom, y'know...? At all. It's probably a quirky side-effect of the fact that these two individuals have been living together for such a long time, though. Rin thinks it's _adorable_ , in an absolutely ridiculous kind of way.

He can't even bring himself to feel envious about it. Not even a little bit.

"G'morning, _Blue_ -chan!" A cheerful — lilting — voice suddenly rings out, then. There's a peculiar intonation to the words (as if if the stressed use of his partner's nickname is Pengin's customary way of announcing the camera's presence). "Were you having a nice dream just now...?"

There's a muffled noise from somewhere on the other side of the covers in response. One that just barely meets the requirements for _'irritation'_. It actually sounds a little more like _'resignation'_ to Rin's ears, to be honest. Blue7SE must be a pretty easy-going guy, then. Rin wouldn't have been able to respond with anywhere near as much generosity, if _he_ had been the one to find himself roused in such an abrupt way. That's for fucking sure.

Clearly unconcerned with Blue's lack of verbal enthusiasm, Pengin merely sniggers. "Don't be fooled by that awful grump, my loyal Pen-pals," He petitions (quite unnecessarily), tone light and playful. "It's obvious Blue-chan is very happy to see me. Look, it's even twitching a little..."

As if to prove his point, Pengin runs a teasing fingertip along one of the prominent veins at the underside of Blue's sleep-induced erection. Starting out all the way at the base, and then slowly dragging it upwards until its path eventually gets interrupted by the ridge of Blue's glans. It _does_ twitch. Again. Very noticeably so, even. The whole thing's oddly mesmerising. Especially considering Rin's never really considered morning wood to be anything other than a complete and utter nuisance before.

"What're you doing down there?" A new voice asks, then, in a low — and slightly monotonous, truth be told — tone. "The alarm hasn't even gone off yet."

_Shit._

That's Blue's voice, isn't it?

Rin can't say he's very surprised when the sound of it goes straight to his groin. It's a very _nice_ voice: unexpectedly sensuous, kind of breathy, and a little rough with disuse. The type of voice that could easily make an uninflected reading of a dictionary sound appealing, you know...? Rin honestly hadn't been prepared for it _at all_.  
  
Meanwhile, on-screen, Pengin simply laughs the complaint off. "Isn't _that_ obvious, too...?" He replies, wrapping his free hand around Blue's straining erection and gently squeezing it to coax a little more pre-cum out of its tip. "I'm having breakfast in bed, Blue-chan."

"You're insatiable," Blue's disembodied voice half-scoffs, half-snorts in response. "Why do I put up with you, again?"

Pengin makes a thoughtful little humming noise. "Right...? I'd better give you a little reminder," He agrees impishly, then, after a beat. "Could you hold up the camera for me, though?"

There's a rustle, then, as the image blurs again. A moment later, Rin finds himself looking down at Blue's erection from an entirely different angle. With Pengin's coyly smiling lips hovering a hair's breadth above its shiny, gorgeously coloured tip. The mischievous blond is propped up on his elbows in between Blue's lightly spread thighs. He's drawing little circles into the short stubble of Blue's pubic hair with one hand, while the other holds the base of Blue's cock firmly in place. His hair is slightly flattened by the sheet above him (and Blue's free hand lightly cradling his nape, too). His excitement is kind of alarmingly catching, as well.

For the next few minutes, Rin is treated to a front row seat to one of the sweetest fucking blowjobs he's ever seen. Pengin clearly knows his stuff. That much had already been obvious last night, though. The difference, now, is that Rin can see absolutely _everything_. Just as clearly as if it were his own dick Pengin is going down on (which, in hindsight, had probably been Pengin's intention all along).

The little menace maintains eye-contact — with Blue, as well as an utterly captivated Rin — during the whole thing. He's clearly very eager to please, and equally attentive to just about all of Blue's unspoken cues. He doesn't appear to have much of a gag-reflex, either. He makes giving head look completely effortless, in fact. And he somehow manages to draw a steady stream of content little sighs and murmurs out of Blue without breaking a sweat, too.

He even swallows everything down without a trace of hesitation (or a hint of a cough), in the end.

A teeny, tiny little bit of Blue's semen escapes the corner of his mouth just a split-second before he can lick it all back up, though. Pengin makes a terribly displeased kind of face, at that, until Blue gets the hint and obligingly uses the pad of his thumb to guide everything back inside again. Clearly mollified, the cheeky blond immediately sticks his tongue out a bit. As if to celebrate his triumphant victory over Blue's morning load, and say, _'ta-da!'_.

_Wooow._

Is that what Pengin had meant by _'breakfast in bed'_ , then...? Blue is one lucky fucking bastard, that's for sure.

Fortunately, Rin is a little too busy shamelessly palming his — almost painfully hard, by now — erection through the fabric of his sweatpants to feel sorry for himself. He's already 2/3rds into the video, anyway, and Pengin's camera is shakily being passed back to its owner for the grand finale. A broadly smiling Pengin throws the lens a flirtatious little wink before confidently aiming it right... back... at... Blue's... groin.

This one never wastes any time, does he?

"Have you remembered what you're keeping me around for yet, Blue-chan...?" Pengin suddenly asks, then, and shifts his weight until he's sitting up (with the sheet pooled behind his back, in a way that is probably making him look even more attractive than usual). His bent knees end up loosely bracketing Blue's hips. And after a brief pause to consider the possibilities of their new position, he adds: "Roll over when you feel up to it, OK?"

Blue doesn't bother with an actual reply, but he _does_ follow Pengin's instruction without requiring any further prompting. Satisfied, Pengin scoots closer. Until Rin has a good view of Blue's bare ass and Pengin's tented boxers. Yellow ones, this time, with tiny little penguins on them. They're _a lot_ safer for Rin to look at than Blue's impeccably shaped ass, in any case.  
  
"Comfortable?" It's Pengin's soft, sing-song voice again.  
  
Blue must've nodded his assent, because Pengin starts grinding the clear outline of his erection into the pale skin of his right ass cheek a moment later. Rin had already seen a handful of glimpses of it yesterday, but he'd been too distracted with the movement of Pengin's hips to fully appreciate the fact that Pengin's actually got a pretty big cock for a guy his size. It almost looks like it might be about the same length as Blue's (and Rin's own), to be honest. Definitely big enough for the head of it to poke out an inch or so, should Rin ever get to wrap his fingers around an exact replica of it.

Or, y'know, _the real thing_.  
  
There's a muffled moan, then, as Blue reaches back to blindly tug the waistband of Pengin's underwear down. It takes Rin an embarrassingly long time to realise that the noise hadn't come from Pengin, but from _Blue_. "Go on," He hears Blue urge, then, as if there was ever any doubt about his consent. "It's your turn now."  
  
As a result, Rin gets his first clear view of Pengin's unclothed cock at 07:18.

It's surprisingly pale (and bordering on the thin side), just like the rest of him. Not in an unattractive way, though. It's a nice, incredibly good-looking cock. His pubic hair isn't nearly as carefully trimmed as Blue's, but a slightly more natural look seems to suit the cheeky Pengin pretty well. And Rin is unexpectedly amused to discover the carpet actually matches the drapes perfectly.

 _Interesting_.

Unaware of Rin's intent scrutiny, Pengin slowly eases himself into the narrow space between the globes of Blue's proffered ass. His glans leaves a shiny trail of pre-cum behind wherever it makes contact (in a way that really has no business being half as arousing as it actually is). He doesn't ask for lubricant. And Blue doesn't offer it, either.

Blue _does_ , however, make an oddly stirring little noise as soon as Pengin begins moving his hips back and forth. He also arches his back in undisguised encouragement, cups a hand over the little dip of his tail bone to create a makeshift tunnel for Pengin to thrust into, and readily allows himself to be moulded into an even _more_ provocative position.

Blue7SE clearly doesn't have any pesky hang-ups, there. Something about that distinctively brazen demeanour of his is making Rin's entire body feel very, very, _very_ hot. And whatever it is, it seems to be having the exact same effect on Pengin. It's no wonder the guy doesn't last very long underneath its onslaught, then, is it?

Because Blue's hand is hastily batted away, at 09:21. It ends up being removed _just_ in time for Pengin to deliver the big _'cumshot'_ the tags had promised. The first (most powerful of the bunch) spurt lands off screen — presumably somewhere in the vicinity of Blue's shoulder blades — and the rest gradually covers the small of Blue's back in white little droplets. There's not that much of it, in the end, but the whole thing looks undeniably _intense_.

The camera shakes.

And not just a little bit, either.

Pengin doesn't gasp out Blue's name, though, the way Rin had kind of been expecting him to (now that they're actually providing their viewers with a good amount of _'verbal'_ play). Instead, there's simply an uneven exhale. And a little later, there's a terribly shaky: "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to make a mess like that, Blue-chan."

"It's fine," Blue's voice instantly speaks up. Even though it sounds like he's still feeling a little winded, himself. "Nice one, then...?"

Pengin hums in agreement, using the tip of a visibly trembling finger to draw a lopsided heart-shape around one of the little splatters on Blue's back.

" _Perfect_."

It's a surprisingly candid interaction. One that Rin hadn't thought he'd ever get to witness, to be honest. And now that he actually has, he isn't entirely sure what to _do_ with it. This Pengin4U and Blue7SE aren't any different from the ones he'd seen last night, though, are they? They're still the exact same pair: playful, tender, and very generous with each other. The fact that Rin has now heard their pillow talk (and had one of their videos dedicated to him) shouldn't have changed anything at all.

But it _has_.

They've become a little more than just a set of random X-SPOT usernames to him, now, haven't they...?

_Ugh._

Still, Rin is pretty sure he's never been this turned-on before. Not even close. Not even _last night_.

Whatever weird little crisis he may be having at the moment, however, it hasn't affected the strength of his erection. He's still rock hard. And it's kind of making it increasingly challenging for him to focus on the screen of his phone. Let alone form any kind of rational thought, really.

That just won't do.

Rin doesn't want to risk missing the ending. Not _again_.

The last couple of seconds of the video aren't what he'd expected at all, though. Instead of the relaxed, post-coital make-out session he'd witnessed the night before, there's a terribly shrill beeping noise at 09:35. Rin practically jumps out of his skin in surprise — right along with Pengin (and the camera) — when it abruptly interrupts the content scene in front of him. Luckily, the sudden racket is quickly drowned out by Pengin's infectious laughter. And then there's a rather entertaining scuffle as both occupants of Blue's bed scramble to turn the alarm off at the same time.

There's an odd little giggle that sounds like it might actually belong to Blue at 09:39. But it's quickly swallowed up, barely a split-second later, by Pengin's cheerful voice announcing: "Looks like it's time to get up, Blue-chan...!!"

Then, the video ends.

And Rin is all alone again, with an unprecedented hard-on, in the deafening silence of his — inescapably empty — bedroom.

_Damn it._


	3. Reaching Out

_**Sunday, June 16, 2013:** _

In an effort to save a perfectly decent pair of sweatpants from the laundry, Rin jerks himself off over the toilet seat. He keeps his head bowed, the palm of his left hand braced against the cool tiles for support, and tries very hard not to think of the sound of Blue's laughter.

He fails spectacularly, of course. And it isn't even a surprise, either. Not really.

By the time a particularly satisfying twist of the sticky fingers around Rin's cock finally drags him over the edge — and right into what's bound to be a disappointingly short burst of blissful oblivion — the digits don't quite feel like his own any more. No, they're just a little gentler than usual. Less hurried. A little bit more efficient, too.

Slender.

Graceful.

Deft.

Experienced.

 _Blue's_.

Rin gasps.

His heartbeat is _out of control_.

For a split-second, just as his climax reaches its very peak (and his vision blurs all by itself), it actually feels like there's a solid presence at his back. One that's accompanied by a pair of impossibly soft lips pressing a kiss down over the shell of his ear, a splayed hand covetously covering his bellybutton, and the warmth of a much steadier breath caressing the skin of his — _**Fuck**._

Reality abruptly catches up, then, and Blue's imaginary touches — and the shadowed outline on the bathroom wall — are simply Rin's own again.

 

* * *

 

Rin fetches himself a glass of water, places it down on the wooden headboard of his bed, and — with an aborted sigh — makes himself comfortable on the mattress.

He _sort of_ feels ready to face his phone again now.

Maybe.

It's already 9:46 PM, though.

He should probably consider putting this whole thing off until tomorrow. If he manages to get an early start on his Monday Morning 5K, it'll earn him about half an hour to himself around lunch time. Right before the individual appointment with the team's chiropractor Coach Hirai had been so aggravatingly insistent about.

The results of Saturday's time trials had been less than stellar, unfortunately, and a sleep-deprived Rin hadn't made it out of the locker room quickly enough to avoid a bout of good-natured ribbing on the subject. Left with no other option, he'd been forced to concede defeat. And, while he was at it, grudgingly scribble his name (underneath Kanako-chan's much neater looking one) onto the dreadful Low Urgency Roster.

It could always be worse, Rin supposes. Hirai-buchou could've just as easily decided to saddle him with a house call from one of the overeager massage therapists instead. _Again._

Making an effort to catch up on at least some of the sleep he'd lost recently doesn't sound like a bad idea, either. He's definitely going to need it, if he wants to survive a private session with the intimidatingly tall — and unnervingly observant, to boot — Matsui-sensei. There's a good reason the guy had been fondly dubbed _'Titan-sensei'_ by the majority of Rin's team, after all.

Still.

Rin kind of owes Pengin a proper response as soon as possible, doesn't he...?

It's already been a good twelve hours since the video had first been uploaded to X-SPOT. And, judging by the timing of the reply to Rin's comment, Pengin might've even tried to steer Rin's attention towards it during a lunch break of some kind.

Spurred on by an uncomfortable wave of _who-even-knows-what_ , Rin suddenly finds the words coming to him surprisingly easily:

Hitting the **[POST COMMENT]** button for the 2nd time (in just as many days) feels oddly liberating. There's just something incredibly therapeutic about baring a tiny piece of his soul to a virtual — pun not intended, mind you — stranger, you know? It's really _nice_.

The whole thing's actually starting to make Rin feel a little light-headed. He's as good as high on the intense relief coursing through his veins right now. The welcome tingling in the tips of his fingers and toes is more than a little addictive, too. He hasn't felt this free to voice what's on his mind in years. And he definitely isn't used to the feeling anymore, now.

The thrill of it isn't all that different from the one he experiences during a particularly exhilarating race, though.

Not when it really comes down to it.

Except: Rin has received copious amounts of training on how to properly channel _that_ electrifying buzz into a valuable source of competitive fuel. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours of it, by now, in fact.

But, _this_ one...?

No, Rin's got no experience in this particular area at all. None whatsoever. He thought he'd just been screaming into the void last night. He hadn't expected anyone to actually _shout back_. It's no surprise Rin is feeling a little intoxicated, then, is it? If anyone had told him — just a week ago, even — that he'd soon find himself making fast friends with an amateur porn enthusiast (who really likes _penguins_ , of all things, and happens to be living with the hottest guy on the entire island), he'd have laughed right in their fucking face.

Right?

Riiiii- _iiight_.

It's crazy.

This whole thing is completely and utterly **_crazy_**.

That's probably why Rin barely even blinks, though, when — on his way up to the **[LOG OUT]** button at the very top of the page — he suddenly finds himself scrolling past a downright inconspicuous (and _very_ recent) comment from Blue7SE:

Face hot, and hands embarrassingly clammy, Rin immediately types up a reply.

Of course he does.

He doesn't even have to _think_ about it. Not really. His fingertips just glide across the smooth surface of his phone all of their own accord. Words appear, one by one, and then — barely a handful of seconds later — they're **_out there_**.

It's 9:57 PM, on a Sunday evening, and Rin has no idea what he thinks he's _doing_. Not even a single fucking clue.

_Fuuuck._

He's a real smooth talker, isn't he? He's going to have to go through with that 'threat' of his now, too. Matsuoka Rin is a man of his word, after all.

Right.

OK.

No big deal.

Rin has never felt the need to send anyone a private message on X-SPOT before — and he doesn't know the first thing about how the messaging system actually _works —_ but he is 300% committed to pulling this thing off.

He might even be able to catch Blue online, right? If he's quick enough about it, that is.

As if guided by an invisible force of _something_ (or other), Rin finds himself successfully opening up the **[CREATE NEW MESSAGE]** tab as good as immediately. A split-second later, he's already looking at a blank message box.

Entering the seven characters of Blue's X-SPOT username into the recipient field feels pretty damn surreal. Rin had only just finished beating off to the guy, hadn't he? For the second time this weekend, even. Never mind the fact that there's a good chance Blue had been typing up his comment — or even worse, _watching_ the video — while Rin was busy getting himself off over the toilet bowl. Of all places. There's something really fucking weird about that particular thought, isn't there...?

Rin doesn't have time to worry about any of that _now_ , though.

No.

He's got to focus on coming up with an eye-catching **[SUBJECT]** instead. Something that'll be sure to catch Blue's attention long enough for Rin's private message to escape a terribly tragic demise in one of X-SPOT's virtual trash cans. Because Rin is certainly under no illusions there: Blue7SE is a popular X-SPOT member. The guy most likely gets a shocking amount of fan- and spam-mail in his inbox every week. It's entirely possible _both_ of Rin's impulsive attempts to strike up a conversation with him will end in utter failure.

Either way, it's still worth a shot. And, in the end, Rin manages to settle on a fairly simple one-liner pretty quickly:

The next hurdle is slightly more difficult to clear, though. The words just don't seem to want to come to him as easily as they'd done before — and Rin is uncomfortably aware of the fact that this is due to his growing desire to _make an_ _impression_ on Blue7SE — but he's always rather liked a good challenge, hasn't he? It's supposed to help build character, and all.

As expected, the result of his rushed efforts isn't anything particularly groundbreaking (and it certainly isn't very _dignified_ , either).

Still.

It _is_ completely genuine, and Rin is actually rather pleased with it.

Meticulously reading the whole thing over (in an effort to weed out any embarrassing mistakes), Rin realises he could've simply informed Blue _'dolphinkicker'_ is nothing more than a lame inside joke — inspired by swimming terminology — and left it at that.

He really isn't sure what he's trying to accomplish by waxing poetic about his love for swimming on a porn site, of all places.

But...

Something about it just feels _right_ , you know? And whatever it is, it kindly enables him to click the **[SEND MESSAGE]** button without even a hint of hesitation.

There's a pretty significant chance Blue already knows what a dolphin kick is, anyway. Rin would like to think he's developed a good eye for this kind of thing over the years and Blue's lean body is clearly toned in all the right places for _a_ _swimmer's_. He just doesn't strike Rin as somebody who lifts weights regularly. And the muscles of his thighs and calves aren't nearly as defined as a cyclist's (or a runner's) tend to be be, either. The guy's even got the telltale tan lines of someone who regularly dons a knee-length swimsuit.

To top things off: Blue's gorgeous shoulders and ankles are a dead give-away, too.

Nah, Rin would honestly be surprised if a guy going by the obvious moniker of _**Blue**_ 7SE doesn't have his own pool membership (of some kind). He'd even go as far as to speculate Blue's got a pretty decent front crawl — or a breaststroke, perhaps? — for a recreational swimmer. Blue might've even dipped his toes into a more competitive setting during his school years, as well. He's just got that kind of _look_ about him. It takes one to know one, doesn't it? And Rin has definitely seen his fair share of swimmers' bodies over the years. That's for sure.

Does all of that mean Rin is trying to not-so-subtly bait Blue into responding with a _'Tell me something I don't know!'_ -type retort, though...?

Perhaps.

The frustratingly mysterious Blue7SE seems much more likely to allow himself to be dragged into a conversation — with a complete stranger (like Rin) — about sports than one about the size of their respective dicks, after all.

That's more than fine by Rin, though. His private life might be undergoing a complete overhaul at the moment, but he isn't about to develop a sudden interest in exchanging dick pictures (or initiating webcam sessions, for that matter) with _someone whose real name he doesn't even know_. Not this late into the game, y'know? No matter how uncharacteristic his actions these past forty-eight hours have been, the fact that he's a hopeless romantic is practically wired into Rin's genetic code. A little ~~crush~~ curiosity isn't going to be able to change that.

Yes.

OK.

 _Fine_.

Rin is — incredibly, even — physically attracted to Blue.

That's all it is, though. There's nothing more to it. Rin often trains with people he's experienced various degrees of initial attraction to — and, in most cases, he's seen just as much of their bare skin as he has of Blue's — and he's never once felt the need to act on it before. It's always faded as soon as they struck up a proper conversation. They're his _friends_ , now. Team mates. He can't see them in the same light anymore, you know?

Blue7SE will not be an exception.

Because — in his mad dash to chat up Pengin's enigmatic _'Blue-chan'_ — Rin has unwittingly forced himself to acknowledge just how desperately he wants to befriend the people behind those oddly endearing X-SPOT nicknames. He's not satisfied simply living vicariously through a pair like them any longer. He wants to be an actual part of something like that.

One day. When he's retired from competitive swimming (and it can't ruin his career anymore).

Sousuke is great, and all, but he's got a tendency to overreact when it comes to Rin's love life. Which is quite an impressive feat, y'know, considering Rin doesn't even _have_ one.

That's why Rin had really, really, _really_ needed to:

  1. Make an attempt to pop the stifling, heteronormative little bubble he's allowed himself to be swallowed up by for nearly an entire decade now.
  2. Reach out to someone who isn't just _accepting_ of Rin's (homo)sexuality, but actually _understands_ it. There are just some gaps Sousuke can't fill, you know? No pun intended. Sousuke is 100% straight. The guy's never even thought to question that fact, either. There's always going to be a limit to how much he can relate to Rin's struggle to be true to himself and the people he cares about, isn't there? That, and Sousuke's just _one person_.
  3. Reach out to someone. Period.



Sure, there's a good chance Blue will completely miss — or even _ignore_  — Rin's message(s). That's _fine_ , though. It really is. Because nothing can negate the fact that Rin is now getting his very first taste of the frankly addictive elation that comes with actually reaching out to someone like this.

It's kind of a pretty big fucking deal to him, all right...?

He's never done anything remotely like this before. Leaving a handful of messages in public had already taken Rin miles (and miles) out of his comfort zone. And now here he is, just like that, brazenly taking steps to correspond privately with a guy whose morning wood has been viewed 30790 times within the last 24 hours. A guy who Rin has recently _fantasised_ _about_ , and is even harbouring a tiny little — absolutely fucking _gigantic —_ porn site crush on.

Blue might very well choose to not give Rin the time of day, of course, but he can at least be counted on not to judge Rin for something he doesn't have any control over — like his sexuality, and the various things that he's into — which means a whole lot more to Rin, these days, than just about anything else. Whatever impression Blue ends up having of Rin, it'll be one that's based on Rin's _words_ alone. Nothing else.

That's pretty incredible, isn't it? How in the world has Rin managed to make it this long without ever seeking someone out like this...?

And then — just as Rin's starting to believe it can't possibly get any better than this — the screen of his phone lights up with an alert: [ **Dolphinkicker** ,] the pop-up reads, [You have a new Private Message from **Blue7SE** on X-SPOT.]

Well...

_Crap._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Some of you probably recognise the website I based all of the fake screencaps on, so: PLEASE FORGIVE ANY INCONSISTENCIES! The font is a little different & I had to tinker with Pengin4U's profile/other minor things... ^^;;; 
> 
> Lastly, HERE'S A BIG **THANK YOU** TO EVERYONE WHO'S LEFT ME A COMMENT/KUDOS!! :D It really cheers me on~ and I'm so pleased to have you all on board for this one. *grin!*


	4. (No) Big Deal

_**Sunday, June 16, 2013:** _

For an embarrassingly long moment, Rin can only _gape_ at the screen of his phone.

Cursing underneath his breath (rather enthusiastically so), he makes a valiant effort to process everything he's currently seeing. As he does so, his wide eyes flick rapidly back and forth between Blue's actual _words_ and the unexpectedly detailed — and incredibly distracting — image of Blue's torso.

Dripping.

Wet.

Stunning.

Erotic.

 _Fuck_.

But: "I knew it!"

He was **_right_**. Blue7SE really _is_ a swimmer (with an incredibly attractive six-pack, to boot). He's serious enough about it to be aware of the basic function of a dolphin kick, apparently, and he even graciously took Rin's bait. Which is probably something the guy would not have done, if he'd actually wanted to discourage Rin's awkward attempts at engaging him in a conversation.

One thing's for sure, though: Pengin is about 2809 times more approachable than his tight-lipped, positively unsociable housemate. If Rin hadn't seen — as well as _heard_ , of course — Pengin being treated in the exact same way (and outright welcoming and encouraging it), he'd probably have misunderstood the intent behind Blue's reticent words. By a good mile.

Either way, Matsuoka Rin isn't a quitter. Not by a long shot. He always _persists_.

And true to form, Rin has little trouble tapping out a brief — and shamelessly goading — answer into the blank little box conveniently situated below Blue's message. Pausing only to suck a fortifying breath into his lungs, he then hits the **[SEND MESSAGE]** button on the right-hand side of the webpage.

Without even a single hint of uncertainty.

_Oh._

He'd forgotten to add his signature ' _— R._ ' at the end, hadn't he...?

That's OK, though. Blue isn't likely to care about — or even notice — a stupid little detail like that. Rin isn't all that fussed, himself, either. He isn't e-mailing _Hirai-buchou_ , after all. He's pretty sure he can afford a momentary lapse in proper etiquette around here.

And it's not like he gets a whole lot of time to feel self-conscious about it, anyway. The pop-up announcing Blue's next reply flashes across the screen of his phone almost instantaneously: [ **Dolphinkicker** ,] it reads again (just like it had done the very first time), [You have a new Private Message from **Blue7SE** on X-SPOT.]

Worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, just a teeny tiny little bit, Rin hurriedly taps the alert to open it up.

Right.

OK.

So, it's not exactly an encouraging response. But Rin is fairly confident he can do _something_ with the tiny little scraps he's being given, regardless.

There's something extremely satisfying about the idea of Blue being on the receiving end of another little pop-up of his own right now. " _'Blue7SE'_ ," He whispers to himself, then, just to test the words on his tongue while he waits for a possible third response. " _'You've received a new Private Message from Dolphinkicker on X-SPOT'_. Nice."

The next reply notably does _not_ come in the form Rin had expected it to, though. Instead of the soundless alert he'd been well on his way to becoming accustomed to, there's a light buzzing noise. And then Blue's next words to him are suddenly popping up at the bottom of his screen. Traditional chat box-style, if you will.

 **[10:10 PM]** **blue7se** : I only swim free.

In his surprise, Rin very nearly drops his phone into his lap.

He hadn't even known you could _do_ that kind of thing on X-SPOT, you know...?!

But, OK. Right. He can roll with this.

 **[10:10 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice.

 **[10:10 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You any good at it?

There.

"You've got this, Matsuoka," Rin tells himself. And then feels incredibly self-conscious about having spoken to himself out loud (again). "You're just chatting to Blue7SE. In real-time. _No big deal_."

 **[10:11 PM]** **blue7se** : I don't care about my times.

Wait.

How can anyone **_not_** ** _—_**?!

All right. Whatever. _Fine_.

 **[10:11 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That's not really what I asked, though.

 **[10:11 PM]** **blue7se** : I know.

This guy really is going to be a tough nut to crack, isn't he?

Rin is no longer being given a single inch to work with here, either. Never mind the fact that _Blue_ had actually been the one to fast-track this entire conversation. And definitely not _Rin_ , himself, who hadn't even known such a feat was possible to begin with!

That just won't _do_.

 **[10:12 PM] dolphinkicker**: Humour me, OK? The curiosity's killing me here!

 **[10:12 PM] dolphinkicker**: Swimming's kind of my passion, y'know... I just love talking about it. I can't help it.

Then, on a whim, he adds:

 **[10:12 PM] dolphinkicker**: You're not _embarrassed_ , are you...?

Blue doesn't take the bait as quite readily as he'd done before, though. Rin makes a mental note to be a little less obvious about it. Next time.

 **[10:14 PM] blue7se**: I'm not.

 **[10:14 PM] blue7se**: I used to compete when I was younger.

 **[10:14 PM] blue7se**: My best friend's always saying I could've gone... _somewhere_... with it. He's a swim coach now. At my pool.

 **[10:14 PM] blue7se**: He wouldn't say things like that lightly.

_Bingo._

It looks like Rin might've underestimated Blue (just a little bit), then. If a younger Blue had possessed the talent to go professional, then his front crawl undoubtedly deserves higher praise than a simple _'decent for a recreational swimmer'_ from Rin. No matter how many years may have passed since the last time he'd competed.

Swimming is kind of like riding a bike, that way. Especially on a competitive level, you know? You never forget how to do it. And Blue has clearly been keeping himself in admirable shape, as well.

Even so. The unusually taciturn guy isn't likely to pose much of a threat to an Olympic medallist like _Rin_. And with that unexpectedly sobering thought in mind, it's probably better for Rin to avoid going any further down this particular road of conversation. He really doesn't want to be put in a situation where he'd have to outright _lie_ to Blue about his current times, after all.

 **[10:14 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : See! That wasn't so hard, was it?

 **[10:15 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : So, what _are_ you doing now? Professionally, I mean.

 **[10:15 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : If you don't mind me asking, that is.

It's a pivotal question. Rin is fully aware of the fact that he's taking a rather big risk by asking it so bluntly. And this early on in the game, too. There's a very real chance Blue will immediately clamp shut again.

But if he _doesn't..._

Then it'll mean he's willing — at least on some level, anyway — to share something personal about himself. With _Rin_.

 **[10:19 PM] blue7se**: Art.

 **[10:19 PM] blue7se**: Illustrations, mostly.

 **[10:19 PM] blue7se**: Some photography, too.

 **[10:19 PM] blue7se**: Whatever pays the bills.

The little cluster of replies comes in after an even longer pause than usual (and isn't the thought of Rin having something _usual_ with Blue a really fucking weird one?).

Still.

Rin is satisfied with the pay-off. It's actually starting to feel like they're _finally_ getting somewhere.

 **[10:19 PM] dolphinkicker**: Photography!

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: Does that mean those black/white shots Pengin4U's got up on his profile were taken by you?

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: They're real nice, if so.

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: Striking.

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: Not that I've got much of an eye for that kind of stuff, mind you. I know nothing about art. But. Y'know.

 **[10:20 PM] blue7se**: You're going to make me blush.

He was right...?

_Again._

He's definitely on a roll, here! This makes for the second correct assumption he'd made about Blue so far, doesn't it? He's actually getting pretty good at this thing, then.

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: Funny.

 **[10:20 PM] dolphinkicker**: I actually _meant_ it, though. It's a freelance type of jig you've got going on, right?

 **[10:21 PM] blue7se**: You could call it that, I guess.

 **[10:21 PM] blue7se**: I got lucky. My parents are in the same business.

 **[10:21 PM] blue7se**: I usually work from home, though. Unlike them...

 **[10:21 PM] blue7se**: They probably wouldn't agree, but I think there's a lot of freedom in it. I like it.

 **[10:21 PM] dolphinkicker**: Lucky...? Nah, you must be damn talented to be paying your bills that way!

 **[10:22 PM] dolphinkicker**: I'm not just saying that to flatter you, either. It's just _true_.

That's a blatant lie, of course. He really _is_ trying to flatter Blue. A lot. And he isn't even being the tiniest bit subtle about it anymore, either.

In an effort to balance it out a little, though, Rin quickly adds:

 **[10:22 PM] dolphinkicker**: I'd actually like to spend a bit more time at home...

 **[10:22 PM] dolphinkicker**: My job's always taking me away from it, you know? It's great 99% of the time. But I never grew out of that 1% homesickness.

 **[10:22 PM] blue7se**: Overseas?

It's just _one_ word. A very simple one, too.

Unobtrusive.

Maybe even a little timid.

Curious, though. Probably. _Interested._

Why is it, then, that Rin is getting the impression something momentous is about to shift between them...? He's just completely unprepared for this, to be honest. He hadn't expected Blue to ask him a question of his own. At all.

 **[10:22 PM] dolphinkicker**: Occasionally.

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: I'm off to Spain at the end of July. Just a fortnight, though. It'll be my 5th time in Europe.

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: Strangely enough, that's actually my favourite part of the job!

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: The part I don't like as much is getting stuck in Tokyo for the better part of the year. My family's still back in my hometown...

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: That's kind of what I meant: _home_ , y'know? I miss them. A lot.

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: Shit, I didn't mean to ramble like that.

 **[10:23 PM] dolphinkicker**: Sorry.

Well...

That sure is a heavily watered down version of the truth, isn't it? Pathetic, really.

It's just going to have to do, though.

It's not as if Rin can simply tell Blue — a complete stranger he'd only recently come across _on a porn site_ — that he's a professional athlete, is it? One who regularly has his face featured on the cover of magazines (and newspapers alike), and will soon be competing at the upcoming World Aquatic Championships in Barcelona, to top things off. A veritable role model for Japan's youth, if you will.

_No._

Definitely not. Blue and Pengin could easily earn themselves a nice fat bonus by taking _that_ kind of story to the media, you know?

Rin wouldn't even blame them for it. Not really. There are plenty of other — non-monetary — reasons a pair of openly 'out' individuals like them might seek to add someone like Rin to their fold. It wouldn't even have to be truly malicious in nature, either.

Even so, just a tiny little rumour already has more than enough power to thoroughly obliterate Rin's career (and give an increasingly concerned Sousuke a handful of aneurysms, no doubt). And should Rin ever be exposed in an even _more_ shameful way — such as an actual X-SPOT-related, full-on _scandal_ — he'd undoubtedly be taking quite a few of his co-workers' jobs down the drain with him as well.

Not to mention his family's.

It'd probably all be handled in a very _hush-hush_ type of manner, of course, but Rin simply can't allow even a fraction of that to happen. No matter how badly he wants to be able to be 100% honest with these guys.

 **[10:24 PM]** **blue7se** : It's fine.

 **[10:24 PM]** **blue7se** : I've been on the other end of your situation, I think.

 **[10:24 PM]** **blue7se** : My best friend attended university in Tokyo. For a while it almost felt like he'd moved to an entirely different planet...

 **[10:24 PM]** **blue7se** : It's nearly 500 km away from here.

Both the _'It's just as tough on this side,'_ and _'I missed him a lot...'_ remain politely (or pointedly, perhaps) unspoken, but Rin is pretty sure he can sense the sentiment just as clearly as if Blue had actually typed it all out.

Much to his surprise, though, Blue _does_ give voice to another interesting titbit about himself altogether:

 **[10:25 PM]** **blue7se** : That's the furthest I've ever travelled, by the way.

 **[10:25 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : To visit him?

 **[10:25 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You've been to Tokyo, then!

 **[10:25 PM] blue7se**: Just twice.

 **[10:25 PM] blue7se**: During his first summer over there. A couple of days. On my own.

 **[10:26 PM] blue7se**: And for New Year's. 2011. In our 3rd year.

 **[10:26 PM] blue7se**: With Pengin.

So...

Blue had been attending his third year of university back in 2011, then?

That might make him a little closer to Rin's age than the twenty-two-year-old Pengin, who'd been born — according to the information listed on his profile, anyway — almost exactly 6 months after Rin.

Blue would've graduated in 2012. Just like Rin. Probably.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

 **[10:26 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What did you think of it?

 **[10:26 PM] blue7se**: It's big.

Despite himself, Rin _laughs_.

The sudden burst of noise startles him into dropping his phone onto the mattress. Right in between his comfortably crossed legs.

 **[10:27 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Can't argue with you there!

 **[10:27 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that really _all_ you've got to say about it, though...?

 **[10:27 PM] blue7se**: The fireworks were bigger than the ones back home. The pool complex we visited was bigger, too.

 **[10:27 PM] blue7se**: Everything's just bigger in the Big Mikan, I guess.

 **[10:27 PM] blue7se**: Even Pengin's appetite.

That cheeky little thing is actually a big eater, then...?

It kind of makes sense, Rin supposes: Pengin's gotta get all of that energy from _somewhere._

 **[10:27 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Oh! The Tatsumi International facility?

 **[10:28 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That's the biggest we've got around here, as far as I know.

 **[10:28 PM] blue7se**: No...

 **[10:28 PM] blue7se**: Sendagaya, I think. Is that what it's called?

 **[10:28 PM] blue7se**: The one you mentioned wasn't open to the public while we were there.

Shit. They're talking about the summer of 2008 here, aren't they...? Blue's (and Rin's) first year at university.

That'd been Rin's very first season under Hirai-buchou's tutelage. There's a pretty good chance Tatsumi's International Swimming Centre had been closed to the public due to one of the team's all-day training/trial sessions leading up to the Olympics in Beijing, then. Which would mean Rin had been swimming _right there_ that day. He'd only just started nipping at Takeshi-senpai's toes back then, of course, and a chance at a ticket to the World Championships in Rome the following year had seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream...

 _Anyway_.

It's entirely possible an official competition of some kind had taken place, as well. But, if that'd been the case, surely Blue would've just said so. The guy probably would've _enjoyed_ it, even: Takeshi-senpai had just been about to set a new Asian record in the 200M 'fly that year, and Kousuke-senpai had been absolutely _on fire_ (especially since he'd been smack in the middle of reclaiming both of his world records from his all-time rival, Brendan Hansen). The whole team had been 300% pumped. It had been quite a sight to witness. There's no doubt about that.

Either way: it's a small fucking world out there, isn't it?

Yes.

Yes, it is.

 **[10:28 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That sucks!

 **[10:28 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I think you'd have liked it better than Sendagaya, to be honest. It's always so damn crowded there.

 **[10:29 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Did you even manage to get a full lap in?

 **[10:29 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'd be very surprised.

 **[10:29 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Jealous_ , too.

 **[10:29 PM] blue7se**: Beggars can't be choosers. There's only one long course pool around _here_.

 **[10:29 PM] blue7se**: Bumper swimming's kind of the norm, too...

 **[10:29 PM] blue7se**: Do you usually get a lane to yourself, then?

 **[10:30 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : If you say so.

 **[10:30 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I don't want to rub it in, but: _**YES**_.

 **[10:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I need a lane to myself! There's nothing like seeing a completely undisturbed stretch of chlorinated... _shit_... in front of you.

 **[10:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : No _feet_.

 **[10:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thank you.

 **[10:31 PM] blue7se**: Did you mean 'water'?

 **[10:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Let's just call it what it is, OK?

 **[10:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : My hair's fried and my skin's drier than the Sahara. I'd hardly call that 'water', Blue.

 **[10:32 PM] blue7se**: Worth it, though.

Smiling, Rin immediately types up a series of (all equally embarrassing) replies:

 **[10:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yeah...

 **[10:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'd never give it up.

 **[10:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Not for anything in the world, y'know.

 **[10:33 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You've probably already gathered that, though.

 **[10:33 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Sorry.

 **[10:33 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Again.

 **[10:33 PM] dolphinkicker: **Shit.

 **[10:33 PM] blue7se**: It's fine.

 **[10:33 PM] blue7se**: I like talking about swimming, too.

Rin is outright _grinning_ , now.

 **[10:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : This is definitely not what I was expecting to find myself discussing on X-SPOT.

 **[10:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Not that I'm complaining, though!

 **[10:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I like it.

 **[10:35 PM] blue7se**: Were you actually looking for something else, then?

 **[10:35 PM] blue7se**: I can't tell at all. You haven't even _tried_ to send me a dick picture yet.

 **[10:35 PM] blue7se**: It's been over 30 minutes...

The grin on his face abruptly falters.

He _knows_ he's being tested. But there's no way for him to predict the answer Blue is angling for, is there? There's only one option, in that case: 100% genuine, unadulterated honesty.

Right after a teeny tiny little pause to stall for some more time, of course...

 **[10:36 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Did I break a record?

 **[10:36 PM] blue7se**: Yes. By 29 minutes.

 **[10:36 PM] blue7se**: Congratulations.

 **[10:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Sweet_.

 **[10:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I think.

 **[10:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Uhm... I don't actually know what I'm looking for yet, though. Not for sure, anyway.

 **[10:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that a thing that's on the table? I've never done anything like that before.

 **[10:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err. Is _that_ why you're talking to me now, Blue?

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, **_fuck_**.

What if it is _..._? What if Blue is the one who's looking for that _'something else'_ here...? What if this is Blue's not-so-subtle way of coaxing Rin into sending him a picture of his dick...?!

It doesn't really seem like it, though. But what does Matsuoka Rin — twenty-three year old virgin — even know about these kind of things, right? He also hadn't expected Blue to maintain the conversation for _this_ long, after all.

Luckily Blue's swift reply puts Rin out of his misery a split-second later:

 **[10:38 PM] blue7se**: It isn't.

 **[10:38 PM] blue7se**: Didn't you read my profile before messaging me?

 **[10:38 PM] blue7se**: You really _are_ new around here.

Rin's face is suddenly very hot.

In his haste to catch Blue online, he'd kind of just _forgotten_ to — !

 **[10:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Uh...

 **[10:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Guilty as charged.

 **[10:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm realising now that I should have.

 **[10:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Sorry. _Really_.

 **[10:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Should I go do that now?

 **[10:39 PM] blue7se**: You apologise a lot.

Rin can't help it.

He _has_ to say it. It might even help break the tension a little bit:

 **[10:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Sorry.

 **[10:39 PM] blue7se**: I'm still talking to you, aren't I?

 **[10:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Uh huh. I'm guessing this is as novel for you as it is for me, then?

 **[10:40 PM] blue7se**: My profile says: **DON'T MESSAGE ME**.

 **[10:40 PM] blue7se**: What do you _think_?

Well. That escalated pretty fucking quickly, didn't it?

Shiii- _iit._

 **[10:40 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right.

 **[10:40 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : OK.

 **[10:40 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Why _are_ you still talking to me, in that case...?

 **[10:40 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Don't get me wrong, though!

 **[10:40 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm glad you are.

That little line, right there, could probably earn Rin the 'Understatement Of The Year' award for 2013, couldn't it?

Damn it all (and then some).

 **[10:41 PM] blue7se**: Pengin.

 **[10:41 PM] blue7se**: I thought that was obvious.

Oh. OK. Yeah.

That _is_... pretty... fucking... obvious _._

In hindsight.

 **[10:41 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Does that mean you saw my comment(s) to him?

 **[10:41 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : FYI: I left him another one just before I messaged you.

In which he'd unthinkingly called the sound of Blue's laughter _lethal_.

 **[10:42 PM] blue7se**: Yes. Both.

 **[10:42 PM] blue7se**: Pengin quoted the entire thing to me over breakfast.

 **[10:42 PM] blue7se**: Actual breakfast. Not _his_ idea of it.

 **[10:42 PM] blue7se**: He hasn't seen the latest one yet, though. He's asleep already. He had a long day.

 **[10:43 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : FML.

For an alarmingly long time, that's all Rin can think to say.

 **[10:44 PM] blue7se**: You're not embarrassed, are you...?

It's a near perfect knock-off of Rin's own taunting comment to Blue (roughly half-an-hour ago). And Rin probably deserves having it thrown back in his face, this way, too.

_Still._

**[10:44 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You bet I am.

 **[10:44 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Fuck. I said I came in my pants like a teenager, didn't I...?

 **[10:44 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I even praised your ass!

 **[10:44 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I can't even think of anything more mortifying than that, to be honest.

 **[10:45 PM] blue7se**: I don't mind.

 **[10:45 PM] blue7se**: Pengin loves the attention, too. I wouldn't begrudge him that.

 **[10:45 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right. OK. I guess I'll get over it.

 **[10:45 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Eventually.

 **[10:46 PM] blue7se**: You're _supposed_ to get off to it, you know?

 **[10:46 PM] blue7se**: Why do think Pengin uploads them? The last one's even got your name on it.

 **[10:46 PM] blue7se**: Don't be stupid, Dolphinkicker.

Gee... Thanks a lot, Blue!

He's kind of got a point, though, Rin supposes. He doesn't know the first thing about Pengin's motivation to upload all of those videos to X-SPOT. And Blue, for his part, clearly isn't the least bit bothered by the idea of Rin occasionally beating off to them.

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yeah. I'll try not to be.

 **[10:47 PM] blue7se**: Good luck.

OK. High time to change the subject.

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thanks.

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I think...

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Can we talk about _that_ , though? The videos, I mean.

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : For future reference. I should actually be heading to bed soon.

 **[10:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : My alarm's set to go off at 5:30 AM.

 **[10:48 PM] blue7se**: Sure.

 **[10:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : OK. Uhm. Great.

 **[10:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll keep that in mind.

 **[10:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What about _'How did you and Pengin meet each other?'_ , then?

 **[10:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's a little personal, I know...

 **[10:49 PM] blue7se**: You're really taking that living-vicariously-through-you thing pretty seriously, aren't you?

This guy never pulls any fucking punches, does he?

 **[10:49 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that a _yes_ or a _no..._? It's a little hard to tell.

 **[10:49 PM] blue7se**: Fine.

Nevertheless, Rin ends up being left in suspense for a full three minutes.

 **[10:52 PM] blue7se**: We met at a local swim club back when we were kids. He's a year younger than me, so...

 **[10:52 PM] blue7se**: I wouldn't have been able to tell you much more than his name until my 2nd year of high-school.

Confirmed: Blue is twenty-three.

 **[10:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : He's a swimmer, too?

 **[10:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice catch, Blue.

He actually _means_ it, too.

It's obvious the two of them make a damn good pair (in and out of the sheets). Although they'd simply _have_ to be, really, for their relationship to survive four years of cohabitation. And Rin definitely doesn't buy the _'friends with benefits'_ act anymore, either.

 **[10:53 PM] blue7se**: Yeah. He's an all-rounder like you. His butterfly sucks, though.

 **[10:53 PM] blue7se**: You can tell him I said that. If you don't mind him begging you for pointers.

 **[10:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Ouch!

 **[10:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : No speciality like you, then?

 **[10:53 PM] blue7se**: Not really. Breaststroke, maybe. It's his favourite.

 **[10:54 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Figures. That's _my_ worst stroke...

 **[10:54 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I can never get the width of my whip kick right. It drives me nuts.

 **[10:54 PM] blue7se**: The universe remains balanced, then.

Rin finds himself chuckling down at his phone for the second time that evening.

 **[10:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Pfft.

 **[10:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You're a real riot, Blue.

 **[10:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : So. How did you end up living together?

There's another (long) pause, then.

Rin almost regrets asking.

 **[10:55 PM] blue7se**: He just showed up at my door one day.

 **[10:55 PM] blue7se**: He never left.

 **[10:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That's it?

 **[10:56 PM] blue7se**: That's it.

 **[10:56 PM] blue7se**: The rest is Pengin's story to tell.

It could just be Rin's imagination, but it kind of feels like he accidentally hit a sore spot. And he _does_ regret asking, now.

 **[10:56 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Fair enough.

 **[10:56 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That's when your best friend left for university, right?

 **[10:56 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I _did_ read Pengin's profile.

 **[10:57 PM] blue7se**: Yeah.

 **[10:57 PM] blue7se**: The timing couldn't have been better. It was nice to have a distraction around 24/7.

 **[10:57 PM] blue7se**: It's almost been five years since then...

 **[10:57 PM] blue7se**: It still seems surreal sometimes.

_Fucking hell._

Five whole years...?! They've been living together for as long as Rin's been swimming with the Japanese flag on his caps and suits, then.

Wow.

 **[10:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that what the kids're calling it these days: DISTRACTION?

 **[10:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice.

 **[10:58 PM] blue7se**: ...

 **[10:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Sorry.

 **[10:58 PM] blue7se**: Do you ever stop apologising?

 **[10:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Sorry_.

 **[10:59 PM] blue7se**: Aren't you getting bored of talking to me yet?

 **[10:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : No.

 **[10:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Not at all.

 **[10:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I wish I could afford to stay up just a tiny bit longer, actually...

 **[11:00 PM] blue7se**: Oh. You're heading to bed, then?

There's no way for Rin to accurately judge the tone of Blue's words. But he'd like to imagine there's at least a little disappointment thrown in there.

 **[11:00 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yeah. That'd be the smart thing to do, I'm afraid.

 **[11:00 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I've been having a bit of trouble sleeping lately.

 **[11:00 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Things are going to get even busier soon, too... Lots of preparations for that trip to Europe, y'know? July is going to be _crazy_.

There's another half-truth for you, Blue7SE. Not to mention an even _more_ ridiculous understatement than that stupid little _'I'm glad you are,'_ had been. Roughly twenty minutes ago.

"I'm sorry," Rin guiltily tells the screen of his phone. "I'm kind of an asshole, aren't I...?"

 **[11:01 PM] blue7se**: Is that the reason you've been coming here?

 **[11:01 PM] blue7se**: To X-SPOT, I mean.

Nothing gets by this guy, does it? He's almost as eerily perceptive as Matsui-sensei.

 **[11:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Pretty much.

 **[11:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : The faster I get off...

 **[11:02 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Well, the faster I can get to sleep.

Rin had been expecting a flood of embarrassment to invade his stomach in the wake of _that_ particular revelation, but there isn't even a drizzle. The realisation that he's completely comfortable with Blue knowing this intimate thing about him is a rather surprising one. And more than a little strange, too.

It's nice, though.

Kind of.

 **[11:02 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What about _you_ , then?

 **[11:02 PM] blue7se**: I sleep just fine.

 **[11:02 PM] blue7se**: Thanks for your concern, Dolphinkicker.

_That little — !_

Is he avoiding the question?

 **[11:02 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Are you being deliberately obtuse, Blue?

 **[11:02 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You know that isn't what I asked.

 **[11:03 PM] blue7se**: Weren't you going to bed?

He is.

He really _is_ avoiding the question.

Well, then. Two can play that game:

 **[11:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll let you off the hook.

 **[11:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : For now.

 **[11:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Tomorrow, then. Same time?

 **[11:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I should get home around 7 PM, though.

What the fuck does Rin think he's doing...?!

It's a _huge_ risk.

And Blue is sure taking his sweet time typing up a reply, too.

 **[11:06 PM] blue7se**: I'll think about it.

 **[11:06 PM] blue7se**: _Goodnight_ , Dolphinkicker.

 **[11:06 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yes!

 **[11:06 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I mean: G'night, Blue.

At exactly 11:07 PM, the bright green little dot next to Blue's username turns red. He must've signed out already, then.

Either way, Rin is utterly unable to tear his eyes away from his phone for another solid minute (or two). It's 11:10 PM by the time he's getting up to turn the lights — and the air-conditioning — off.

He falls asleep as soon as the back of his head touches the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I can't find any website that lists "swimmer slang", so... when Haruka talks about bumper swimming, he means bumper-to-bumper with other people (as in: you have to share a lane with others and stick to their rhythm or risk crashing into them from behind). Not the type with inflatable boats. I swear it's a thing, OK. :'D


	5. Hips Don't Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a little longer than usual, but it's also... longer than usual. :'D It's _extra_ dedicated to **Renkakirai** , who celebrated her birthday yesterday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BB.
> 
> P.S. The ideas of using Lush's bath bombs AND candle wax belong to **Gettinglostinneverland** on Tumblr. I'm just taking them for a spin. *grin!* (Lush's Japanese site can be found [here](https://www.lushjapan.com/products/bath-bombs#showall)! Check out the gorgeous Intergalactic bath bomb, OMFG.)

_**Mon**_ _ **day, June 17, 2013:** _

"You've met someone, haven't you?"

Matsui-sensei seems to reach this conclusion out of absolutely fucking nowhere. Just as he's beginning to dig the pads of his intimidatingly large thumbs into Rin's inner thigh in earnest, that is. Rin tries very hard not to squirm underneath the probing touch, and eventually manages to ask: " _Huh_...?!"

Completely unmoved by the baffled expression on Rin's face, Matsui-sensei calmly continues to inspect every... single... inch.... of his thighs. The left one first, and then the other side. "It's practically written all over your adductors," He tells Rin, then, in a maddeningly cheerful sort of voice. It's impossible to tell what's _really_ going on behind those ridiculously thick-rimmed glasses of his, though. As usual. "This whole group's always been a lot tighter on you before, Matsuoka-senshu. Remember: muscles cannot lie!"

Matsui Mikio is a horrible man. He really, really, _really_ is.

"When are you finally going to quit calling me that, sensei...?" Rin complains — somewhat tiredly (and operating on 100% auto-pilot, at this point) — as he reluctantly fulfils Matsui-sensei's non-verbal request for him to lie down properly. "You're about twenty years my senior, aren't you? It totally creeps me out."

Rin really does _not_ like being flat on his back on this particular examination table, you know?

It never fails to make him feel extremely irritable, no matter how comfortable the military green upholstery may be, because the alarmingly dexterous chiropractor certainly isn't in the habit of keeping a box of tissues on the edge of his desk just for the heck of it. Even Takeshi-senpai — who is almost as terrifying as Matsui-sensei himself — is rumoured to have been reduced to tears by the hands of the team's talented _'Titan-sensei'_ at least once or twice.

It's a terrifying place to find yourself, to be honest.

True to form, though, Matsui-sensei merely makes an unconcerned little humming noise in response. Then, he moves to stand serenely at Rin's left side. "Aren't you even going to try and deny it, then?"

"What's the point?" Rin retorts. "You're almost like a bloodhound when it comes to these things. Nothing ever gets by you, does it? Everyone's wondering how you do it."

"The tension in a patient's body can reveal a wide variety of interesting facts about them," Matsui-sensei replies shrewdly. As he speaks, he pointedly adjusts the clenched fists at Rin's side. Until the insides of Rin's palms are touching the bunched up paper sheets underneath his hips once more (and Rin's heart rate is gradually slowing down again, as well). When he's done with _that_ , he deftly lifts Rin's left leg clear off of the table and eases it towards both of their chests. "Relax, Matsuoka- _kun_. The timing's not exactly great for romance, but I truly am very pleased for you. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it?"

Rin hisses out a grudging agreement — and an obligatory threat about a sexual harassment report, for good measure — just as Matsui-sensei firmly presses three of his fingers down into the juncture between his groin and thigh. It's just a little too close to his bladder for comfort.

Belatedly, he adds: "It's nothing serious, though."

"No?" Matsui-sensei asks, surprisingly neutrally, as he begins rotating Rin's bent leg in wide — and very slow, deliberate — circles. The socket of Rin's hip makes an unnervingly loud popping sound on each rotation. The disgusting noises never fail to make him wince. There's no _pain_ , though. There very rarely is. Not with Matsui-sensei, at least. "Could've fooled me."

"It's just a stupid little crush," Rin insists, and finds he has to glance away from Matsui-sensei's knowing smile in order to get the rest of his words out. "It hasn't even been a _week._ Nothing's ever going to come of it, either. Calling it a dead-end would be an understatement."

"It doesn't have to be going anywhere for it to be considered _'serious'_ , does it?" Matsui-sensei argues instantly (although he graciously refrains from pressing the issue any further than that). He lowers Rin's leg back down to the table, instead, and moves around it to stand at Rin's feet again. "You know the drill by now. I'm going right for your quadratus lumborum for the next couple of minutes. You just lie back and think of Japan, all right? I know you're not very fond of this one."

"I'm not fond of _any_ of them," Rin points out, somewhat unhelpfully, but quickly makes up for it by grabbing the sides of the table and holding still for Matsui-sensei. Who wastes no further time lifting both of Rin's legs up by the ankles and shifting them away from their support while Rin's torso stays in place. As expected, Matsui-sensei moves them towards the _left_ side first. Like he always does. "Except for that thing you did to my neck a while ago. That one I didn't mind so much."

"You wound me deeply, Matsuoka-senshu," Matsui-sensei replies evenly, as he begins gradually pushing Rin's legs further away from the table (mainly by putting his own weight behind the movement). He keeps at it until Rin can clearly feel the stretch of it in his hips and lower back. It's not _uncomfortable_ , of course, but Rin really doesn't appreciate the reminder of how vulnerable his body actually is. It'd be so easy for him to end up with a permanent injury — just like Sousuke's, come to think of it — if he didn't have Matsui-sensei and the rest of the medical team to sort him out now and then. It's not a particularly nice thought. At all. "I'll make you an offer: if you keep those slow, deep breaths up while I do your other side..."

"Then what do I get for my troubles?" Rin wants to know, balefully eyeing the splayed hand Matsui-sensei is using to brace himself with on Rin's hipbone. The thing is _huge_.

"I will reward you for your cooperation with a nice little shoulder rub at the very end," Matsui-sensei announces, as he smoothly hoists the combined weight of Rin's legs back onto — and right over — the examination table in order for him to stretch Rin's hips into the other direction (for another handful of excruciatingly long seconds). "Even though I'm very much aware of the fact that you already got yourself _a double session_ with Miyagi-sensei earlier today. And it's hardly in my job description, either."

"Are you calling me a cheater, Matsui-sensei?" Rin fires back immediately, even though he knows very well that he's playing right into Matsui-sensei's hand by doing so. The nimble-fingered chiropractor has always known how to efficiently keep Rin distracted, hasn't he? It's all part of their odd little _groove_ , by now. "That's pretty rich, coming from you. I saw Watanabe's name above mine on your roster, y'know? Everyone knows you're seeing other swimmers on the side."

Matsui-sensei chuckles, then, and mindfully guides Rin's legs back to the very centre of the paper-covered table. "What were you saying about sexual harassment in the work place before?"

"I can't quite remember now," Rin blatantly lies, and throws Matsui-sensei one of his most winning smiles. "It must not have been very important after all."

"I sincerely hope you don't talk to our talented ladies the same way you talk to me, Matsuoka-senshu," Matsui-sensei comments lightly, as he helps Rin gingerly roll over onto his right side for the next part of their routine. "Fishing all of the broken hearts out of the pool would be a full-time job! We'd never get anything else done around here."

"There's no need to worry: I save it all for _you_ , sensei," Rin responds blithely. But he allows Matsui-sensei to cross his arms over his chest and manoeuvre the rest of his body into a loose foetal-like position (with his right leg completely stretched out), either way. He really hates this next part, though. "I'm the one nursing an unrequited crush here, though, aren't I? You should be a little kinder to me. I could probably get you fired, you know? I've got all these medals now."

Matsui-sensei easily laughs Rin's faux-acerbic tone off. "That crush of yours is exactly what'd cause the broken hearts in the first place," He decides, placing one hand down over the small of Rin's back. His other settles on Rin's bent elbow. Then: "Comfortable? Take another deep breath for me when you're ready."

Rin nods. "Just get it over with," He mumbles. " _Please_."

Thankfully, Matsui-sensei obliges him as good as immediately. There's a series of embarrassingly noisy little pops from Rin's spine as the walking closet of a man progressively applies more pressure to it. And Rin's breath promptly escapes him in an even noisier way. It's a weird little thing: a half-grunt and a half-whimper. As if things couldn't get any _worse_ , right...? _  
_

"Let's get you on your stomach," Matsui-sensei says, then, and politely ignores Rin's utter mortification (the exact same way he always does, really). "I'm almost done with you for today. What've you got planned after this, then?"

"I've got a little while to stew in the sauna," Rin manages to divulge, at last, in between awkwardly rolling over onto his stomach and placing his face into the special slot for it at the head of the table. "Hirai-buchou seems to want to keep me in a non-solid state whenever I'm not actually _in the pool_ , y'know? I appreciate the concern, but I'm hardly going to over-train with my taper coming up in less than a month. I'm not a rookie anymore."

"He's finally decided when you'll start?"

Rin nods (again), and tries to keep his breathing steady and predictable for Matsui-sensei. The latter catches on gratifyingly quickly, and is soon making short work of the remaining tension in Rin's shoulders and spine. "July 14th," He grunts, when he's pretty certain it won't interfere with the other man's work. "It's a lot shorter than the one I did before London, but we're both feeling pretty confident about it."

"You _are_ a very different kind of athlete now," Matsui-sensei agrees, with another loud pop. "When I first saw you come in, I honestly feared you'd eventually burn yourself out. You were always so high-strung!" Then, a moment later, he solemnly adds: "I'm glad I was proven so very wrong, though. It has been an honour to witness your maturation as a swimmer over these past couple of years, Matsuoka-senshu."

Rin is glad his reddening face is hidden from view. "There's no need to be so dramatic about it," He mutters, somewhat grouchily, and pretends not to have noticed the way Matsui-sensei had pointedly drawn out the two little vowels of that blasted honorific he's constantly tagging onto Rin's name. "I just got _older_. It happens to everyone. I can hardly take any credit for that."

"It seems there's still a bit of room left for improvement, after all," Matsui-sensei — in an undeniably fond tone of voice — reproaches. The whole thing only serves to embarrass Rin even _more_ , of course. "Learning how to graciously accept a compliment now and then would serve you well, don't you think...?"

Properly chastised, Rin quickly makes amends: "I'll keep that in mind, sensei."

 

* * *

 

Despite the fact that Rin _had_ actually managed to take a pretty long lunch break earlier that day, his phone remained securely tucked away in a side-pocket of his backpack during the entire thing. He'd ended up getting invited to a nearby burger restaurant by an unusually talkative Kousuke-kun — not to be confused with Kousuke- _senpai_ , who only ever seems to mumble about wedding cakes and invitation lists these days — and an equally animated Shinri. The latter of which Rin has been practising takeovers with for the past couple of days.  
  
Come to think of it, Rin is glad the perpetually boisterous Shinri finally seems to be at peace with Takurou-senpai's unexpected retirement. The sudden loss of their soft-spoken mentor had sent ripples through the entire team (mainly due to the guy having been an incredibly social all-rounder), but the twenty-two-year-old Shioura Shinri had definitely been the one who'd taken the news the hardest. He'd been abruptly appointed anchor of not one but two sprint-type relay teams, after all. Pretty big fucking shoes to fill for a relatively young and inexperienced undergraduate, and all of that stuff.  
  
And as a result, Hirai-buchou had even asked Rin to take on Shinri's original role in the 4 x 100M freestyle line-up. The second-to-last leg of it, to be precise.

Rin is no stranger to being the third swimmer in a relay line-up, but the dynamics of the current freestyle team are completely different from the ones of its medley counterpart. Despite the fact that both teams have actually had two members in common for a good while now: Shinri and Rin, himself, who'd been the first sprinter in the pool at the Olympics in London last year and had used the occasion to prove his front crawl worthy by helping his team win a respectable third place (and set himself a brand new personal record while he was at it).  
  
Luckily, the dust of Shinri's and Rin's respective promotions had only taken a handful of days to settle. It _is_ rather difficult to ignore the way they'd both kicked ass at the annual JAPAN SWIM back in April, you know...? And soon they'll even have an opportunity to do so again. First during the 4 x 100M freestyle on July 28th, and then once more during the 4 x 100M medley on August 4th. _In fucking Barcelona._  
  
Rin has an incredibly good feeling about that last one. He can practically smell the gold: Shinri is absolutely on-point this year, Kousuke-senpai _even more so..._ and Ryousuke-senpai probably has the most graceful and effective backstroke technique in the entire fucking world.  
  
And what of _Rin_ , himself?  
  
Well.  
  
Aside from the need for regular chiropractic adjustments (due to the strain the seemingly endless dolphin kick drills have been putting on his lower back recently), Matsuoka Rin is certainly a force to be reckoned with. The shiny pair of silver medals — including an _individual_ one, even — he'd picked up at the Olympics in London last summer has done him a world of good. Matsui-sensei is right, he supposes. He really is much more comfortable in his skin these days. He's just completely at ease as a professional athlete, now. Relaxed. Self-confident. _Focused_.

As things stand now, Rin's medley relay team is more than ready for FINA's World Aquatic Championships next month. Whether Rin is just as prepared to tackle another attempt at a private conversation with Blue is an entirely different matter altogether, though.

Either way, Rin gets home unusually early. It's barely 7 PM, in fact.

The noisy — but terribly sweet and thoughtful, as well — Nakamura-san, who lives across the hall from him, hasn't even come home yet. If she had, then surely there'd have been a plastic bag hanging on his doorknob. Nakamura-san's Origami Club never seems to be able to finish off the curry she makes them for their Monday evening meetings, after all, and she knows very well that she can always count on Rin to be hungry. And gratefully accepting of her delicious cooking, to boot. At all times.

First things first, though: Rin is in dire need of a proper shower. He'd already taken an ice cold one back at the pool, of course, but Miyagi-sensei's 10-minute cool down massages never fail to leave Rin's entire body smelling of menthol either way. It's a little off-putting, at best.

_Anyway._

Nakamura-san's tasty curry is waiting for him when he finishes drying off. Writing her a proper _'thank you'_ note distracts him for another ten minutes, or so. And by the time he logs into his X-SPOT account (for the very first time that day), with a bowl of piping hot curry in his lap, it's already 7:23PM.

Regardless of the time, an enthusiastic little pop-up greets him as soon as the page is finished loading. [ **Dolphinkicker** ,] It says. [You have three new Private Messages on X-SPOT.]

Completely stunned — and a little wide-eyed, to be honest — Rin hurriedly opens up his mailbox to find out more.

Ignoring the impulse to focus on the most recent message (from Blue- _fucking_ -7SE, of course), Rin opens up the oldest one first.

It's quite an experience to be on the receiving end of Pengin's unadulterated enthusiasm. Even so, Rin is oddly charmed by the entire thing. Pengin's — and even _Blue's_ (by proxy, anyway) — obvious concern for him is actually kind of _sweet_. Despite the fact that Pengin's so-called explanation doesn't really clarify much of anything at all, that is.

The larger version Pengin's familiar icon is pretty easy on the eyes, too. It's just a really nice shot of him, you know?

Smiling, Rin decides to type up a message straight away.

As he'd expected, Pengin is definitely much easier to talk to. The words come to him very easily — in a surprisingly large amount, even — and he doesn't feel the least bit embarrassed about adding a little smiley face for Pengin's benefit.

Feeling very pleased with himself overall, Rin quickly browses back to the **[RECEIVED MESSAGES]** tab and opens up Pengin's _other_ message.

"Interesting," Rin whispers to himself (around a spoonful of curry). He can't help snorting just a little bit at the _very_ entertaining mental image of Blue holding Pengin's phone up above the blonde's head. "Thanks, Pengin."

His reply to Pengin's second message takes a little more thought than the previous one, though.

Still, Rin has it fired off within a couple of minutes. Right in between two satisfyingly large bites of his food.

Satisfied, Rin takes another couple of bites of his curry and finally allows himself to open the last unread message in his inbox. It's a very short little thing. Report-style, if you will. And there's nothing more to it than what had already been visible in the preview earlier.

Just as he'd expected, really.

Almost as if he's seeking some kind of childish revenge, Rin takes his sweet time tapping out an equally brief reply (and he makes sure to finish his curry first, too, for good measure).

By now, Rin is 100% certain his target will take the — incredibly obvious — bait. And Blue doesn't let him down.

 **[7:36 PM]** **blue7se** : I thought you'd appreciate the honesty.

Undeterred, Rin simply greets Blue (as if they hadn't just been bickering like a pair of children a moment ago).

 **[7:36 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Hi there, Blue.

 **[7:36 PM]** **blue7se** : Hi.

 **[7:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : So...

 **[7:37 PM]** **blue7se** : So...?

 **[7:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Let's pick up where we left off last night, then?

 **[7:37 PM]** **blue7se** : I don't remember where that was.

That's just what he _says_ , of course.

Luckily, Rin knows a little better by now.

 **[7:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Allow me to refresh your memory, in that case!

 **[7:37 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You were just about to tell me your raison d'être on X-SPOT.

 **[7:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Well... _Y'know_...

 **[7:38 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Somewhere in between avoiding the question and abruptly saying goodnight to me, I suppose.

Not-so-surprisingly, Rin's rather heavy-handed strategy actually _works_.

 **[7:38 PM]** **blue7se** : Hm.

 **[7:38 PM]** **blue7se** : That does ring a bell.

 **[7:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : And...?

It's like pulling teeth.

_Seriously._

**[7:39 PM]** **blue7se** : It's complicated.

 **[7:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Try me.

 **[7:39 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I've got plenty of time, too. I only just got here, remember?

 **[7:40 PM]** **blue7se** : Fine.

 **[7:40 PM]** **blue7se** : I created my account to support Pengin.

Guessing there's a bit more to it than that, Rin waits for another message to pop up before rushing in with a reply of his own. He knows he's pushing Blue into sharing things the guy might've preferred to keep to himself just a little longer. But Rin can't seem to bring himself to stop, you know?

It's just _so_ obvious their budding friendship has the potential to be mutually beneficial. It's all there, poorly hidden between the lines: Blue's love for swimming and his oddly endearing curiosity-slash-envy regarding Rin's various travel opportunities, and Rin's own desperate need to connect with someone as nonchalant — about the matter of sexuality, at the very least — and poised as Blue. They could be great friends. Amazing friends, even.

If only the positively antisocial Blue7SE would actually _cooperate_ once in a while, right...?

 **[7:41 PM]** **blue7se** : Two years ago. Almost.

 **[7:41 PM]** **blue7se** : You'd have known _that_ if you'd actually checked my profile, though.

 **[7:42 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right.

 **[7:42 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : D'you mind if I go look at it now?

 **[7:42 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I genuinely meant to squeeze that in before chatting with you tonight, but the little dispatch you left in my inbox was extremely compelling.

 **[7:42 PM]** **blue7se** : Go ahead.

Rin doesn't need to be told twice. He hurriedly opens up a brand new tab, and browses to the main page of Blue7SE's profile.

What he sees there immediately takes his breath away.

_Wow._

Once again, Rin is left gaping down at his phone in utter astonishment.

That must be some of the photography Blue had told him about last night, then. Strangely enough, it isn't what Rin had been expecting. No. It's even _better_.

Intrigued, Rin eagerly opens up the **[ABOUT ME]** page and quickly learns the following interesting little titbits about Pengin's mysterious house-mate:

  * Blue's 24th birthday is coming up in less than two weeks. On June 30th.
  * He's just _two_ measly centimetres shy of Rin's own height: 179 cm.
  * Even so, with his 69 kg, he's significantly lighter than Rin.
  * Just like Pengin, Blue isn't fussed about the gender of his sexual partner(s).
  * His profile does indeed say **DO NOT MESSAGE ME**.
  * It also says exceptions can be made for interesting requests from X-SPOT members who regularly make donations, though.
  * He's not into anything _hardcore_.
  * His main dislikes include: leather, PVC, bondage, role playing, public sex, dirty talk & 99% of the toys on the market.
  * Unsurprisingly, there's no corresponding list of the things that he _does_ enjoy.
  * Lastly, there are two more similarities with Pengin4U's account: the date both of their profiles had been created, and the fact that neither of them deems it necessary to mention a current relationship status.



As soon as he's gleaned everything he can from that particular page, Rin browses to the **[VIDEOS]** section instead. It's a little awkward with Blue _right fucking there_ , though, so Rin only allows himself a very quick glance at the content.

The most recent video on Blue7SE's channel is titled **EXPERIMENTING WITH COLOURED WAX (REQUESTED BY SM89)** and seems to be the most daring of the lot. The preview image shows a completely naked Blue sitting in a perfect seiza position (on what appears to be _Pengin's_ bed), with his thighs and abdomen haphazardly covered in turquoise-coloured streaks of hardened wax. BDSM stuff like that isn't really Rin's thing, though. And judging by the barely erect state of Blue's gorgeous cock, the poor guy had probably discovered he feels the same way. Still, there's something oddly captivating about the sight of Blue's pale thighs covered in candle wax.

It's a damn good look on him, you know...?

OK.

Moving on.

The next thumbnail shows Blue — clad in a two-toned shirt and a dark pair of jeans (completely unbuttoned and unzipped), this time — on his knees in front of what can only be Pengin's hard cock. He's wearing an improvised blindfold: a rather expensive looking, beige-coloured tie. The very tip of his nose peeks out from underneath the silky cloth, and his lips are parted slightly in anticipation. His hair looks surprisingly soft. And he appears to be in the middle of openly palming himself through the fabric of his underwear.

_Shit._

It takes just about everything Rin's got to refrain from playing **OUR** **WHITE DAY TRADITION** right then and there.

Instead, he tears his eyes away and forces himself to glance at the other titles. Except for Blue's very first foray into X-SPOT territory — which is simply titled **GETTING HARD** — the rest of his videos all seem to be vaguely water-related. For starters, there's the incredibly self-explanatory **SHAVING (REQUESTED BY FOAMFAN101)**. It's followed up by **GIFT FROM PENGIN4U: "SEX BOMB"** , and what appears to be its sequel: **ANOTHER** **BATH BOMB: "INTERGALACTIC"**.

And the last one Rin glances at has the shortest title of them all: **SOAKED**.

Worrying his lower lip between his teeth, Rin reluctantly swipes the screen of his phone with the pad of his thumb to land himself back onto the page with Blue's chat box.

 **[7:46 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You've got no idea how fucking hard it was to tear myself away from your profile just now, do you?

 **[7:46 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm not even sure how I'm still managing to type coherently.

 **[7:47 PM]** **blue7se** : No hand down your pants, then?

Rin's face instantly heats up, even though he's pretty sure Blue is merely joking.

 **[7:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : UGH.

 **[7:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I _do_ actually have some kind of impulse control, you know?

 **[7:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll admit it's pretty damn tempting, though.

 **[7:48 PM]** **blue7se** : Anything in particular catch your eye?

It's payback time, isn't it? Rin figures he's done plenty to deserve it, though.

 **[7:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err...

 **[7:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : They all look pretty promising, TBH.

 **[7:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : But. OK.

 **[7:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : The White Day one's calling my name. Loudly.

 **[7:49 PM]** **blue7se** : That's Pengin's favourite, too.

Encouraged by Blue's openness, Rin tries his luck:

 **[7:49 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What's yours?

 **[7:49 PM]** **blue7se** : Pengin's always claiming it's the Sex Bomb video, but it's actually the Intergalactic one.

 **[7:49 PM]** **blue7se** : You should watch it.

 **[7:49 PM]** **blue7se** : On the surface it looked like a chemical spill, but underneath...

 **[7:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Your own galaxy?

 **[7:50 PM]** **blue7se** : Pretty much.

 **[7:50 PM]** **blue7se** : It was something.

How fucking adorable is this guy...?! He gets excited over _bath bombs_ , for crying out loud!

 **[7:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : My little sister's always begging me to bring her back a haul from Ueno's teeny tiny Lush shop.

 **[7:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I know you think everything's bigger here in Tokyo, but Lush has got to be the exception that proves the rule.

 **[7:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : They've got way more stuff overseas, y'see.

 **[7:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Especially in London. I thought I'd get lost in the store I found there. It's practically a supermarket!

 **[7:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I never considered buying myself anything while I was there, though. Until now.

 **[7:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Any recommendations?

 **[7:51 PM]** **blue7se** : You're a big brother.

It's not a question, exactly. And Rin is pretty sure it isn't the part Blue is most interested in, either.

Still.

What else can he _do_?

Aside from elaborate a little, that is.

 **[7:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yup.

 **[7:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's just the two of us, mind. I haven't got any other siblings.

 **[7:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : She's about a year younger than me.

On a whim, he adds:

 **[7:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : We're pretty close, I guess... Our father died when I was four. It's always been us against the world, y'know?

 **[7:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Maybe that's why I'm so susceptible to getting homesick, these days...

 **[7:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What about you?

If Blue is surprised by Rin's sudden descent into _private territory_ , he certainly doesn't let it show. Neither does he bother to offer any empty platitudes.

It's all kinds of refreshing.

 **[7:53 PM]** **blue7se** : I'm an only child.

 **[7:53 PM]** **blue7se** : My best friend's got a big family, though. They've always treated me like I'm one of their own.

 **[7:53 PM]** **blue7se** : It's been like that since as long as I can remember.

Wow. Those two must really go _waaay back_ , in that case. Rin's long-standing friendship with Sousuke probably can't even hold a candle to it (despite the fact that they're always describing each other as _'childhood best friends'_ to curious strangers, these days).

Interesting.

 **[7:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice.

 **[7:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Do you get along well with Pengin's family, too?

 **[7:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : P.S. Don't forget about those Lush recs, OK?

 **[7:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm all ears.

Rin doesn't even realise his mistake until it's already too late.

A very long — and unmistakably tense — silence follows his tactless question.

And then:

 **[7:56 PM]** **blue7se** : No. I don't.

That's all Blue seems to be willing to say on the matter.

It's a good deal more than Rin had expected him to divulge, though. Especially considering this is only their second conversation. _Ever_.

 **[7:56 PM]** **blue7se** : Don't get Sex Bomb.

 **[7:56 PM]** **blue7se** : Your whole place will smell like jasmine. For days.

 **[7:57 PM]** **blue7se** : Try the lemon-themed ball, instead. Or the blackberry one.

 **[7:57 PM]** **blue7se** : I think you'll like those. Their fuss level is low. No clogged up drains, either.

 **[7:57 PM]** **blue7se** : That's where my expertise ends, though. Pengin never orders anything else.

 **[7:57 PM]** **blue7se** : The bath bombs are his go-to _'I need a favour!'_ gift.

Fuck.

That's the most Blue7SE has ever said to him in one go, isn't it? Even so, it's hardly a victory Rin can enjoy.

Given the scattered bits of information he's been given over the course of the last 48 hours, it's extremely easy for him to jump to conclusions about Blue's rocky relationship with Pengin's family. As well as the lingering tension that is very clearly pushing the taciturn guy into a wholly uncharacteristic ramble. Whether they're the right ones remains to be seen, though.

Either way, Rin should probably say _something_.

 **[7:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yikes.

 **[7:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I keep putting my foot in it, don't I?

 **[7:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm sorry, Blue.

 **[7:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I didn't mean to pry.

 **[7:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thanks for the tips. I'll check out that video soon, too!

Blue's next reply nearly gives Rin a severe case of whiplash.

 **[7:59 PM]** **blue7se** : You can look at it now.

 **[7:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err.

 **[7:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Huh?

 **[7:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right **_now_**...?!

 **[8:00 PM]** **blue7se** : Why not?

 **[8:00 PM]** **blue7se** : There's no point in saving it for later. It's not the kind of video that'll help you get to sleep.

That's a surprisingly diplomatic way of putting — !

 **[8:00 PM]** **blue7se** : Unless you're _really_ into bathtubs, I guess.

_Oh._

Rin nearly chokes on his tongue.

 **[8:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not.

 **[8:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : JFC.

 **[8:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right. OK.

 **[8:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll admit I'm pretty curious now. You're sure you don't mind?

 **[8:02 PM]** **blue7se** : I wouldn't suggest it if I did.

 **[8:02 PM]** **blue7se** : Twice, even.

 **[8:02 PM]** **blue7se** : Did you miss the first time?

Yes.

He _had_ missed it.

 **[8:02 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Shut up.

 **[8:03 PM]** **blue7se** : Rude.

 **[8:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Shut up_.

 **[8:03 PM]** **blue7se** : Why is it such a big deal?

 **[8:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It just _is_.

 **[8:03 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm pretty sure I don't have a bathtub kink, though. If that's what you're wondering.

 **[8:04 PM]** **blue7se** : Look...

Feeling increasingly apprehensive, Rin slowly sucks an uneven breath into his lungs (and tries very hard not to think of the way he'd done the exact same thing at his chiropractor visit earlier that day).

He's got no fucking clue what Blue7SE is going to say next.

 **[8:04 PM]** **blue7se** : We've been through this, haven't we?

 **[8:04 PM]** **blue7se** : This isn't a lead-in to anything.

 **[8:04 PM]** **blue7se** : The videos I make by myself aren't anything like the ones with Pengin.

 **[8:04 PM]** **blue7se** : Trust me.

Blue may not be consciously aware of the effect those two tiny little words have on a completely unshielded Rin, but Rin can practically _feel_ their hook lodge itself into place right in the pit of his stomach.

 **[8:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You're a real smooth talker, aren't you?

 **[8:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Colour me surprised.

 **[8:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : All right.

 **[8:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You win, Blue.

He swipes the screen of his phone with the pad of a sweaty thumb, and promptly lands himself right back onto Blue7SE'S **[VIDEOS]** page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, please let me know what you think! :D Random theories, requests, constructive criticism... It's always welcome. JUST REMEMBER TO BE KIND, OK?
> 
> Lastly, a transcript of all the text included in the images can be found in the comment section [**here**](http://archiveofourown.org/comments/66863161)! I'll be adding the texts for this chapter soon.
> 
> P.S. I decided it'd be a bit clearer for everyone if I stuck to exclusively using the -sensei honorific for the team's medical staff. Technically Hirai-buchou _should_ be "Hirai-sensei" (seeing as he's the head coach  & extremely respected/experienced), but I didn't want to cause any unnecessary confusion there. ^^;


	6. Head First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted a Haruka/Nagisa-centric prequel from Haruka's POV earlier this month. In case you missed it, you can find it here: [**Fireworks At Midnight**](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7644538). Speaking of HaruNagi, I get so emotional every time I think about how many people are reading this 'verse. I never thought it'd become this popular! I thought I'd get maybe 30 kudos at most, ahahaha. I'm super grateful. ♡

_**Mon**_ _ **day, June 17, 2013:** _

Much like the striking set of images on Blue7SE's profile page, the short description of **ANOTHER** **BATH BOMB: "INTERGALACTIC"** isn't what Rin had expected. At all.

Brows furrowing in concentration, Rin makes a series of quick calculations in his head: while X-SPOT doesn't offer much more than the barest of time-lines, it's probably safe to assume Pengin had made the short trip to Kyoto during the summer holidays of his last year at university. And that tiny little detail conveniently helps narrow things down. Significantly. To _late July_ , to be exact.

Right.

So.

If all of Rin's guestimates are correct, then Blue must've created this particular video smack in the middle of Rin's taper for the London Olympics.

It's not exactly a ground-breaking revelation, of course, but it does go a long way to explain the oddly artificial lighting Rin can just about make out in the preview image. The Japanese skies had been depressingly grey and overcast during the later half of July 2012, y'see. Rin still remembers it very clearly. It'd even gotten to the point where Hirai-buchou — yes, _Hirai-buchou_ — had begun cracking jokes about the comparatively sunny weather the team could expect to receive upon touch-down in Heathrow. Of all fucking places (and all people).

It's hardly any wonder that the artistically inclined Blue7SE hadn't even bothered to wait for an opportunity to use a more natural light source, then, is it?

_Anyway..._

Once Rin successfully manages to gather up enough courage to hit the **[PLAY]** button (with the pad of an embarrassingly sweaty thumb), he immediately discovers his hasty assessments had actually been spot on. The unmistakable sound of heavy rain hitting the roof of Blue's — unsurprisingly spotless, and very traditional-looking — bathroom greets Rin's ears as soon as the video starts. And the generously sun-kissed hue of Blue's skin really _does_ look a little washed out, as well.

The camera appears to have been set up on a proper tripod of some kind for the occasion. It's pointing down over Blue's right shoulder, and kindly gives the viewer a perfectly unobstructed look at the inside of Blue's bathtub. Blue's spread knees are poking out of the clear water. One of his hands is lightly cupping his scrotum (which is pushing it all upwards just a little bit), and the very tip of his lightly curved cock is just a hair's breadth shy of touching his bellybutton as a result. It's fully hard. And it's twitching very faintly, like it had done in Pengin's most recent video.

In his free hand — which is hovering just a couple of inches above the surface of the water — Blue is holding a fairly large, turquoise-coloured bath bomb.

"Here goes nothing," A familiar voice announces, then, and the colourful item is unceremoniously lowered into the water. Right in between Blue's open legs. "The whole place kind of smells like peppermint already."

Within a split-second of making contact with the water, the Intergalactic bath bomb creates an explosion of colour inside of Blue's tub. It spins and tumbles in place, slowly but surely dyeing the liquid around it a dizzying array of turquoise and sapphire. Rin is absolutely entranced. At first, there's only shades of blue. But soon enough, other colours are joining the mix. Mainly streak after streak of pure white foam, interspersed by little flecks of pinks and purples, and a vaguely honey-like colour Rin doesn't know the name of.

Underneath what'd aptly been described as a chemical spill by Blue earlier, the rest of the bathwater slowly but surely begins to resemble a cloudless night sky. It's actually pretty impressive, to be honest.

_Nice._

"There's a whole lot of glitter, isn't there?" Blue's calm voice can suddenly be heard asking. He seems to be talking to nobody in particular (although the question still manages to trigger an utterly useless nod out of Rin, regardless). He's treading the splayed fingers of his unoccupied hand through the water to disperse the majority of the foam, now, as well. The effect is kind of _hypnotising_ , really. Rin could probably watch him create little waves in the tub for hours on end. "At least it doesn't seem to be staining anything."

Eventually, Blue deems the water at the centre of the tub clear enough. He purposefully raises his hips, then, until the underside of his straining cock is just shy of breaching its glittery surface. And Rin's mouth has gone very, very, _very_ dry.

Still.

Despite the harsh lighting, and the very distracting sight of Blue's mouthwatering erection _on full display_ , the overall tone of the video remains strangely soothing. The unhurried movements of Blue's hands never quite speed up, either. And the guy doesn't even begin properly getting himself off until about 2/3rds into the video. By then, most of the bath bomb has completely dissolved (and what little is left of it has broken off into a handful of smaller pieces). It kind of looks a bit like an afterthought, to be honest.

Perhaps even more bizarrely, Rin doesn't feel the overwhelming need to touch himself as he watches **ANOTHER** **BATH BOMB: "INTERGALACTIC"**.

It's not like he isn't pretty fucking turned on, though. In fact: he's just as hard as Blue. But there's nothing particularly _urgent_ or _pressing_ about the way he's feeling, and he's far more intrigued by the sedate up-and-down of Blue's occasional strokes. There's just so many interesting little things Rin can learn about Blue's preferences this way, y'know...? Like the way Blue seems to be 100% capable of seamlessly alternating between the use of his left and his right hand. Or the way Blue's toes twitch whenever he gives himself a particularly firm-looking squeeze. And how he sucks his stomach in each time he lets the tips of his fingers wander down to his perineum (although they never seem to stray any further south than that).

Especially that last one.

Because.

_Well._

Rin is pretty fucking sensitive there, too.

He sincerely doubts he's ever going to find himself in a situation where _that_ particular knowledge about Blue7SE's masturbating habits will come in useful, though, but there's just something oddly compelling about the idea of the two of them sharing a favoured erogenous zone. And whatever that something may be, it's definitely going a long way to help Rin feel a tiny little bit closer to the enigmatic bathtub-enthusiast rubbing one out on the screen of his phone.

The pale expanse of Blue's inner thighs just contrasts _so_ perfectly with the darkened hues of the water, too, and — just as Blue had pointed out earlier — the startlingly potent dye doesn't appear to be staining his skin at all. Nor does it obscure Rin's view.

It's mesmerizing.

Beautiful.

Breathtaking.

 ** _Blue_**.

Everything about the video is just so — _so very Blue7SE_ , you know...? It's all kinds of stupidly endearing. And Rin isn't even surprised when it only gets better near the end.

Blue's breath hitches audibly at 4:26, and his thighs soon begin to tremble underneath the strain of keeping his hips afloat. Rin can't help but notice his nipples are a very attractive shade of brown, as well. Like caramel. Or chocolate milk. A little closer to the five-minute mark, the moderate pace of Blue's hands falters momentarily. His toes curl. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, he _groans_.

It's a very faint little thing. Barely audible over the not-so-insignificant noise of the unrelenting rain, really.

Even so, it echoes in Rin's mind for an almost unbearably long time. And suddenly he's uncomfortably reminded of Kenta29's channel _._ It'd be so easy to fall into the same pattern with Blue's videos, wouldn't it? It'd hardly require any effort on Rin's part to pretend that Blue is doing this for _him_ , after all. Heck. He'd already jerked off to Blue's imaginary presence once, hadn't he?

He could do it again. And do it so much _better_.

Easily.

No sweat.

Blue probably wouldn't even care (and neither would Pengin, for that matter). Rin's pretty sure about that.

And yet.

He's absolutely disgusted with himself for being so _tempted_. Harbouring an increasingly inconvenient little crush on Blue doesn't give him the right to build some kind of messed up, utterly make-belief romance in his head. It'd already been questionable enough back when he'd simply been fantasising about dating Kenta. Doing so with _Blue —_ who may as well be married to Pengin (if such a feat were possible in Japan), for fuck's sake — would not only be one of the worst ideas Rin has ever had, but it'd also be a shameful betrayal of trust. Blue's trust, as well as Pengin's.

Right?

They're his _friends_. Y'know. Sort of.

Rin isn't going to do anything that'd fuck that up. No matter what.

So, when Blue's entire body inevitably goes very taut at 5:21 — and the guy lets out a low, keening noise to announce his impending climax — Rin keeps a firm grip on his overly-enthusiastic imagination. He doesn't allow himself to pretend Blue is thinking of _him_. Nor does he let his thoughts linger on the way Blue's body seems to involuntarily curl in on itself at 5:25 (as if there's something off-screen that he's sorely _missing_ ).

The video reaches its end a handful of seconds later. There's no clear cumshot, this time. And that's 100% fine by Rin: Blue7SE's carefully chosen tags hadn't exactly promised to deliver one, after all.

Swallowing (hard enough to make his ears pop), Rin shakily swipes a thumb across the screen of his phone.

 **[8:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You weren't kidding before, were you?

 **[8:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That was... _interesting_.

Much to Rin's surprise, though, Blue's reply comes in long before he can even attempt to string another coherent sentence together. And if _that_ isn't a telling sign of their gradually budding friendship, Rin doesn't know what is.

 **[8:12 PM]** **blue7se** : Don't hold back on me now.

In for an inch, in for a mile.

Feeling generous (for a whole multitude of reasons he'd really rather not inspect too closely right now), Rin once again finds himself opting for complete honesty. And a little _flattery_ , for good measure.

 **[8:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Look: I'm not saying I've suddenly developed an acute case of Bathtub Kinkitis, or anything...

 **[8:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Except.

 **[8:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err. Y'know.

 **[8:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I totally _have_.

 **[8:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thanks for that, I guess?

OK. Perhaps that was a little _too_ honest (even for a conversation on X-SPOT). Blue probably doesn't need to know any details about the impressive hard-on Rin is still sporting at the moment, you know?

Shit.

 **[8:14 PM]** **blue7se** : You're welcome.

"Why am I talking to you again?" Rin emphatically asks his phone. " _Jerk_."

In fact, he's _just_ putting the finishing touch on an exasperated eye-roll when another one of Blue's messages suddenly blinks into existence at the bottom of his screen:

 **[8:14 PM]** **blue7se** : Wait.

Rin does.

He waits an entire minute.

And then another.

 **[8:16 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Holding.

 **[8:16 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What am I waiting for exactly, though...?

 **[8:16 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : If you're going to be AFK for a while, I'd better go get my dishes sorted.

 **[8:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : My dirty plate's just kind of... _there_.

 **[8:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm usually such a neat freak, too.

 **[8:17 PM]** **blue7se** : I'm trying to apologise.

_Huh...?!_

Completely floored by Blue's unexpected admission, Rin can only blink down at his phone in confusion (for a pathetically long moment). His cock goes from half-mast to fully limp in the span of a couple of seconds. The entire thing is kind of making him feel a little whip-lashed, to be honest.

 **[8:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I thought I had a monopoly on apologies around here, Blue.

 **[8:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You'd better not be trying to stage a coup on me.

 **[8:18 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Or did you just misfire somehow?

 **[8:18 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Wrong window, and all.

 **[8:18 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It happens.

Fucking hell. Rin just can't seem to stop _rambling_.

What else is he supposed to _do_ in this kind of situation, though? Laughing it off isn't exactly a 100% foolproof method, but it has proven itself pretty useful in the past. Especially with an iron-willed Sousuke, whose contrary nature could easily rival Blue's. On a ~~good~~ bad day.

Unfortunately, it seems like Blue7SE isn't feeling very cooperative at the moment...

As expected, really.

 **[8:18 PM]** **blue7se** : You made it look so easy.

 **[8:18 PM]** **blue7se** : Apologising.

 **[8:18 PM]** **blue7se** : I thought I'd give it a try.

 **[8:18 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right.

 **[8:18 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : D'you need me to provide you with another example...?

 **[8:19 PM]** **blue7se** : That won't be necessary.

Rapidly beginning to lose his patience, Rin doesn't bother mincing his next words. At all.

 **[8:19 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You don't seem to be doing so hot on your own, though.

 **[8:19 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Just let me give you a hand, OK?

 **[8:19 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Here's a tip: it usually helps to have something to apologise _for_.

 **[8:20 PM]** **blue7se** : You're not uncomfortable, then?

Oh.

Wait. That's what's been bothering Blue?

_Well._

**[8:20 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err.

 **[8:20 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : We're talking about _physical_ discomfort here, right...?

 **[8:20 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Just checking.

 **[8:20 PM]** **blue7se** : Mostly. Yes.

There's absolutely nothing that embarrasses this guy, is there?

Honestly.

 **[8:21 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You do realise it's been over 10 minutes since I closed that video, don't you?

 **[8:21 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's no longer an issue.

 **[8:21 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Like I said: I do actually have some self-control, OK?

 **[8:21 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm not a teenager anymore.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. **_Fuck_**.

There's a world of difference between simply _implying it_ — or offhandedly mentioning something in a late-night comment — and actually throwing the words out there smack in the middle of a real-time conversation, you know? Especially considering the source of Rin's so-called _'discomfort'_ didn't even feature Pengin. It's all on _Blue_.

Rin's face is absolutely on fire. His hands are getting increasingly clammy, too. And his heart is beating uncomfortably fast.

Luckily, though, Blue remains completely unfazed.

 **[8:22 PM]** **blue7se** : I'll just have to take your word for it, I guess.

 **[8:22 PM]** **blue7se** : Your profile doesn't list an age.

 **[8:22 PM]** **blue7se** : Or _anything_...

And as if the blatant subject change (and the evidence of Blue's equally undisguised curiosity) isn't startling enough in its own right, the guy effortlessly lands another K.O. a moment later.

 **[8:22 PM]** **blue7se** : How old _are_ you?

It's just an innocent question. One that's probably being made in much the same vein as the previous evening's — completely unexpected, mind you — inquiry into Rin's travelling habits. Blue's steadily increasing interest in Rin's private life is kind of endearing, even. In a slightly embarrassing way (on Rin's end, anyhow).

Except.

Rin's already given far too many pieces of the puzzle away, hasn't he? This is one detail he's probably better off keeping to himself.

Blue might not be fully conscious of the fact that there's anything there for him to figure out yet, but the guy _is_ very much aware of Rin's upcoming trip to Spain. Not to mention Rin's unusually fierce love for swimming (right down to his slight obsession with dolphin kick drills), and Rin's semi-permanent place of residence. If Rin provides him with an actual _birth date_ to work with, on top of everything else, then the only thing keeping Blue7SE from discovering just which of Japan's top swimmers he's been talking to on X-SPOT will be a simple Google search.

Because while Blue doesn't seem to care for the competitive aspect of swimming very much at all, there's still an alarmingly good chance he's going catch at least _some_ of the media coverage on the World Aquatic Championships in Barcelona. Either by pure chance, or as a result of the complete wild card Pengin4U currently poses. Rin's team leaving for Europe will be a highly publicised event, too. It's going to be pretty fucking hard to miss. For someone whose entire life seems to revolve around _water_.

Just to add more fuel to the fire: Rin had narrowly missed out on a gold medal in the 100M butterfly in London. His outstretched fingertips had touched the wall at 51.30, just 1/10th of a second after the great — _literally_ , as well as figuratively — Phelps. The fact that he hadn't even come close to touching Kawamoto-senshu's national record of 51.00 doesn't seem to have mattered to the press at all. Because neither had _Michael-fucking-Phelps_. And to top things off, America's swimming legend will not be defending any of his records this time. He's retired now.

The effects of Phelps' absence on Rin's upcoming races has had the Japanese press in a veritable frenzy for a good while now. Which means Rin's face, and all of his stats (ranging from his date of birth to his favourite type of kimchi), will inevitably end up being broadcast all over the country soon. _Very_ soon.

For days on end.

Again.

Whether he likes it or not, you know? It's practically inevitable.

Everyone's counting on him to bring home the gold this time. And his only source of comfort is the fact that he's far from alone: Ryousuke-senpai, Aya-senpai, Kousuke-senpai, Kousuke-kun, Daiya, and Shinri are all in the same boat right now. They're _all_ expected to deliver neigh-impossible results. For Hirai-buchou (and his newly-built facility at Touyou University). For the sake of their sport. And, most importantly, for Japan.

There's simply too much at stake here. It's high time for some serious Damage Control.

 **[8:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice save, Blue.

 **[8:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You're turning 24 at the end of the month, right?

 **[8:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : We're about half a year apart, then.

 **[8:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm an Aquarius.

There.

It's far from _ideal_ , but it'll just have to do.

Should Blue7SE ever catch on to the fact that the signature _' **R.** '_ at the end of Dolphinkicker's messages belongs to a member of Japan's national team, there are still _two_ possible conclusions for him to reach. Ryousuke-senpai may be best known for his groundbreaking backstroke technique, but he's certainly no stranger to the 100M and 200M individual medley either. He's technically an _all-rounder_. With a rather publicised love affair with Australia's training facilities, to boot. Just like Rin.

As long as Rin plays his cards right, Blue7SE and Pengin4U will never know for certain which professional swimmer they've been talking to: Irie **R** yousuke (who conveniently celebrates his birthday in January), or Matsuoka **R** in.

And if push ever comes to shove, Rin is 100% prepared to take full responsibility. No matter what that may entail. He'd never allow Ryousuke-senpai's integrity to be called into question. _Ever_.

 **[8:24 PM]** **blue7se** : That's so vague.

 **[8:24 PM]** **blue7se** : Deliberately, too.

 **[8:24 PM]** **blue7se** : Why's that?

How is it that _an amateur porn enthusiast_ — not to mention a seemingly 100% antisocial and perpetually audacious individual, if there ever was any — is so incredibly adept at reading between the lines?

Seriously.

The whole thing's kind of making Rin feel like he'd never even left Matsui-sensei's examination table, to be honest.

But.

OK. All right. Here goes nothing.

 **[8:25 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's nothing personal, OK?

 **[8:25 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I just have trust issues.

 **[8:25 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Besides, you've got no idea how much shit I'd be in if it came out I have an account on here.

Admittedly, simply handing over this kind of information — and on a fucking _silver platter_ , no less — may not be one of the wisest decisions Rin has ever made. It's probably pretty counter-productive, even. Blue is definitely going to become even more suspicious now.

Rin _knows_ that.

And yet it still feels like a huge weight has just been lifted off of his shoulders. He hadn't even realised just how badly he'd wanted to _trust_ Blue with these things.

 **[8:25 PM]** **blue7se** : Tell me, then.

In spite of the palpable tension steadily making itself more and more at home in the centre of his palms, Rin still can't help but roll his eyes.

Enthusiastically.

 **[8:26 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : A whole lot.

 **[8:26 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's not even just my _own_ job on the line, y'know?

 **[8:26 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : My family'd probably get in trouble, too.

True to form, Blue remains absolutely unfazed.

 **[8:27 PM]** **blue7se** : You already told me a little about them, though.

 **[8:27 PM]** **blue7se** : I don't see how this is any different.

Taking an unsteady breath, Rin reluctantly prepares to take the proverbial plunge.

This is _it_.

It's now or never.

They've had a pretty good run, haven't they? If it all goes pear-shaped now, then at least Rin will have learned a couple of invaluable lessons. It's been a real eye-opener so far. That's for sure.

 **[8:27 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : None of those things were public knowledge.

 **[8:28 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Do you really need me to spell it out for you, Blue?

As expected, Blue's reply comes in unbearably slowly.

 **[8:30 PM]** **blue7se** : We're not talking Facebook's type of public knowledge, here...

 **[8:30 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm afraid not.

Rin awaits Blue's next response with bated breath. It's just a little terrifying, to be honest.

 **[8:31 PM]** **blue7se** : TV?

 **[8:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Sometimes.

 **[8:31 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Not all that often, though.

 **[8:31 PM]** **blue7se** : Magazines, then?

 **[8:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Yeah. That's more like it.

It's simultaneously gratifying and disappointing, really, that _this_ is what finally managed to bring out Blue's unparalleled curiosity: Rin's not-so-insignificant life in the public eye.

Rin's _fame_.

Still, it's impossible to blame the guy. Rin probably should've seen it coming, even. He's been grilling Blue for personal information (and other assorted bits and pieces) rather relentlessly ever since they'd started chatting, hasn't he? It's really no wonder the tables are being turned on him now. Payback's a real bitch, and all.

 **[8:32 PM]** **blue7se** : How do I know you're not pulling my leg?

 **[8:32 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You tell me.

It's a rhetorical question (born out of Rin's frustration with the entire situation, mostly), but Blue doesn't seem to care very much about pesky details like that.

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : You've got a fancy phone, right?

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : Send me a picture.

Eyes wide as saucers, Rin impatiently waits for Blue to elaborate.

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : Just your torso will do.

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : Write 'R' next to today's date, or something. On your stomach.

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : Show me your goggles while you're at it.

 **[8:33 PM]** **blue7se** : Then I'll know you're not lying about _that_ part, at least.

Just when Rin thinks he's done making — very reasonable, admittedly — demands, Blue unabashedly adds one more thing:

 **[8:34 PM]** **blue7se** : And don't even bother with Photoshop, Dolphinkicker.

Palms clammy (and chest a couple of sizes too small), Rin quickly makes a decision:

 **[8:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : OK.

 **[8:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I think I can do that.

 **[8:34 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Give me a minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 28/10/2016 UPDATE: I just finished polishing up all of the previous chapters. If something is still unclear/seems iffy, please don't hesitate to let me know! Especially regarding the bits about Irie Ryousuke. It all makes sense in my head, but I often struggle to find a balance between "show" and "tell". I also had a lot of trouble with Haruka's characterisation here. 
> 
> Either way, I'll try to work on the 7th chapter soon. I'm so sorry about the long wait, everyone!


	7. Free Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *gulp!* First of all: MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES FOR TAKING FOREVER TO UPDATE. I feel really awful about taking so long to reply to all of your lovely comments, as well, but I absolutely couldn't let myself enjoy them without getting this update out of the way first. I'm going to go reply to every single one of you _right now_. 
> 
> I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but I really am incredibly grateful for all of the support I've received. Each comment & kudos makes me so happy (and it motivates me a lot!)! Thank you so much for sticking with me! I hope this chapter will make up for the long wait~! ★
> 
> P.S. The Cobra Mirror goggles by Arena that Rin & Blue talk about in this chapter are [these beauties](https://67.media.tumblr.com/3803c5393442a589ad09b4f8bc764ac0/tumblr_ofw2kjUcyO1r251cbo1_r2_1280.jpg). They were really popular in 2013, apparently. I imagine Rin picked the middle ones for his selfie (more details [here](https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/arena-cobra-mirror-goggle-25209/)), and Blue is... well, I guess you'll just have to read and find out. ;)
> 
> P.P.S. Big shout-out to [**Gettinglostinneverland**](http://gettinglostinneverland.tumblr.com/) for the... creative... help... with... emoticons... And for being my guinea pig!

_**Mon**_ _ **day, June 17, 2013:** _

Much to his (own) credit, Rin doesn't even entertain the notion of _'bothering with Photoshop'_.

Here's what he does, instead:

  * He meticulously gathers up every last strand of his still-damp hair in a loose little pony tail (because its extremely recognisable colour will undoubtedly pose a threat to his anonymity if he allows the chlorine-bleached ends of it to continue brushing his shoulders, the way they have been doing quite happily since he'd gotten out of the shower).
  * He also exchanges the towel around his hips for the pair of shorts he's been wearing to the gym more and more often lately. It's a rather fetching maroon-coloured thing. By Adidas. With black piping along the seams. And stupidly enormous pockets. In which he usually keeps his phone, SUICA-card, MP3-player, some bank notes, and the keys to his apartment.
  * Once he's finished dressing up for the occasion, he's ready to select a complementary pair of goggles from his steadily growing stash underneath the bathroom sink.
  * After a handful of tense minutes (filled to the brim with careful deliberation), he grudgingly decides it'd be safest for him to go with Arena's latest release. The aptly-named Cobra Mirror. It had arrived at his doorstep in the form of a bunch of separate little parts in need of assembling — amongst an entire box full of brand new swim caps, fins, paddles, snorkels, and _even more goggles_ for him to appraise — which had kind of put him off of ever using the admittedly epic-looking end result during competition. Or any other televised event, for that matter. Even so, the visibility this particular model offers is actually pretty damn good and he's yet to experience _any_ misting or leakage while training. And, perhaps more importantly, the majority of Arena's products tend to fall under the range of affordable gear a recreational swimmer like Blue7SE is likely to be most familiar with. The Cobra Mirror might even have the power to prove to the guy, once and for all, that Dolphinkicker is serious enough about swimming to keep up with the latest trends and developments in equipment.
  * It then takes him another good minute or two to locate a suitable marker for the job at hand.
  * Lastly, he settles on a location: right in front of the large mirror — which had conveniently been built into one of the sliding doors of his wardrobe-slash-storage-space — facing his neatly made bed (and the even larger set of windows behind it). Because, with the blinds temporarily raised at half-mast, he'll be able to treat Blue to a tiny little sneak-peek of the spectacular view from his apartment building. In Tokyo's Northern Ward. Which is something he's _really_ looking forward to being able to do, you know?



And with all of _those_ hurdles out of the way, he quickly discovers that writing something vaguely legible on his own chest and/or abdomen is going to be significantly harder than it'd originally sounded. Especially _mirror-writing_ it.

Still.

He persists. As he always does.

In the end, though, the most recent product of his foolhardy efforts to make an impression on the irritatingly mysterious Blue7SE doesn't turn out to be anything particularly special. It'd certainly never be able to hold a candle to the stunning photography on the guy's profile (or even _Pengin's_ , for that matter). That's for fucking sure.

Either way, Rin is undeniably pleased with the entire endeavour.

The picture he'd ended up taking for Blue shows a no-nonsense — and fairly modest, at that — shot of his bare torso. With a very misshapen **R** drawn just above the above the pronounced curve of his Iliac crest (on the left side), and a far steadier-looking **2013/05/17** in the general vicinity of his belly button. Despite the simple pose, it kind of looks like he's wearing the thick rubber straps of the Cobra Mirror around his neck like an ill-advised fashion statement. One of his arms is slightly raised to create a better angle, too, which has the added benefit of exposing a freshly shaven armpit to the camera. A good chunk of his brand new phone case is visible, as well. It's black. Faux-leather. With shiny, metallic stitching running all the way around the edges.

A slight hint of Rin's king-sized bed can even be seen, too. Along with the wall-to-wall windows behind it. And the best fucking skyline Kita-ku has to offer. Which is basically just 100% pure, unadulterated _sky_ (with a tiny little bit of Akabane's Sports Forest Park thrown in, for good measure).

Just as planned.

Because Rin honestly can't wait to hear Blue's thoughts on _that_.

Despite the uneasy nature of his words (and the fact that he'd actually meant to try and whet Blue's appetite a little bit, instead of thoughtlessly stroking the guy's already considerable ego even _more_ ), Rin isn't feeling the least bit insecure about his body.

He knows he's in great shape.

He knows a lot of people find him attractive.

He knows that quite a few of them even desire him. 

He _knows_.

And yet it still takes one more push — from an endearingly impatient-sounding Blue, at that — for him to successfully muster up the necessary _something-or-other_ to be able to upload the correct image as an attachment (and subsequently hit the **[SUBMIT]** button).

 **[8:46 PM]** **blue7se** : That's an odd sentiment coming from _a swimmer_.

 **[8:46 PM]** **blue7se** : Are you sure you're not pulling my leg here, Dolphinkicker?

Barely a split-second later, Rin's _'selfie'_ is out there. For better. Or for worse.

And then:

 **[8:47 PM]** **blue7se** : You work out.

Rin practically chokes on his own saliva.

 **[8:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that supposed to be a compliment...?

 **[8:47 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's a little on the rough side, if so.

 **[8:47 PM]** **blue7se** : What did I tell you about being _stupid_?

 **[8:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Pfft._

 **[8:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Fine.

 **[8:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You win again, Blue.

 **[8:48 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll take whatever I can get, TBH.

Apparently an otherwise tight-lipped Blue7SE isn't quite as stingy with his words in this particular area, though.

 **[8:49 PM]** **blue7se** : You can't possibly be starved for compliments.

 **[8:49 PM]** **blue7se** : Not with a body like that.

And, barely a couple of seconds later (while Rin is sill reeling from the impact of _those_ words), the guy effortlessly lands his second K.O. of the evening.

 **[8:49 PM]** **blue7se** : If you're regularly popping up in magazines, you've probably even got a decently passable face to match.

 **[8:49 PM]** **blue7se** : Stop _fishing_.

Is that another **—** ?!

Yes.

It is. It really, really, really _is_.

There's definitely another compliment in there. _Somewhere_.

Luckily, Rin knows better than to let himself read anything into it. By now. "It's not a fucking _lead-in_ ," He mutters underneath his breath. To himself. And the screen of his phone, by proxy. "Get your _'decently passable'_ head out of the clouds, Matsuoka."

 **[8:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Is that your way of telling me you've decided to take my word for it, Blue...?

 **[8:50 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's almost as shoddy as your compliments, in that case.

There.

While Rin is pretty sure he's finally getting the hang of the whole bonding-through-bickering thing they seem to be smack in the middle of establishing — and would very much like to throw in a playful _'D'you need me to provide some examples there, too?'_ — it's a little hard for him to fully enjoy it, though. Not without addressing a couple of key issues first, you know? Somebody's got to get them back on track. Before either one of them spontaneously combusts.

 **[8:50 PM]** **blue7se** : I don't see why not.

 **[8:50 PM]** **blue7se** : You did everything I asked.

 **[8:50 PM]** **blue7se** : And your goggles are even FINA-approved, too.

There Blue7SE goes again. Smoothly blowing all of Rin's expectations — along with his secret ambitions and equally cautious hopes, too — clear out of the water. Like it's _nothing_.

 **[8:51 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You recognise them!

 **[8:51 PM]** **blue7se** : It'd be hard to miss. With that PPI.

 _'PPI'_...? Pixels Per Inch?

Probably.

The guy is practically a professional photographer, after all.

 **[8:51 PM]** **blue7se** : Pengin's been eyeing them ever since their release. The orange/blue colourway.

 **[8:51 PM]** **blue7se** : I'm not completely sold on them yet, though.

 **[8:51 PM]** **blue7se** : Thoughts?

Pleased to find himself back in his element (for once), a broadly smiling Rin easily fires off a whole slew of increasingly buoyant — and nonchalant, as well — replies.

 **[8:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : They're not _bad_.

 **[8:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : The interchangeable nose-pieces are a pretty neat touch, IMO.

 **[8:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Err...

 **[8:52 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Once you've actually managed to figure out how to put the whole thing _together_ , that is.

 **[8:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : There's a manual.

 **[8:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's a bit like IKEA, y'know?

 **[8:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I can't say I'd recommend the experience, though.

 **[8:53 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : There's definitely better ones out there. In the same price range.

To no one's surprise, Blue immediately takes the bait. He doesn't even bother to nibble at it first.

 **[8:54 PM]** **blue7se** : Like?

 **[8:54 PM]** **blue7se** : Pengin's birthday's coming up soon.

 **[8:54 PM]** **blue7se** : We don't usually exchange traditional presents, but I've been thinking about surprising him with a new kit lately...

 **[8:54 PM]** **blue7se** : That's between you and me, though.

It suddenly occurs to Rin (and his previously unbridled smile), then, that he'd completely neglected to ask Blue — and Pengin, as well — about _that_.

Confidentiality.

Restrictions.

Limitations.

Up until _now_ , that is.

 **[8:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Got it!

 **[8:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : But...

"How do even I put this...?" He half-asks, half-demands, the unresponsive phone in his hands. "There's no manual for _you_."

In the end, he settles on:

 **[8:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : What about everything _else_?

And simply rolls with it.

 **[8:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's not like I'm itching to revisit last night's record-breaking fiasco, here, but...

 **[8:55 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You totally caught me off guard when you asked about the thing(s) I'm hoping to get out of this, you know?

 **[8:56 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Seriously.

 **[8:56 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It made my head spin a little. I hadn't even begun to consider all of the possibilities yet.

 **[8:57 PM]** **blue7se** : Did you figure it out, then?

 **[8:57 PM]** **blue7se** : In the end.

 **[8:57 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I think so.

 **[8:57 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : This might sound really lame, but I'd like to befriend... _both_... of you.

 **[8:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I've just never had anything like this before.

 **[8:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Not even close.

 **[8:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : And it's so addictive.

 **[8:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : This new freedom, and all.

No matter how truthful _that_ particular part of Rin's impromptu confession may be, the obligatory follow-up to it is significantly harder for him to type out. It's sorely lacking in the conviction department. For starters. And watching the words steadily blink into life on the screen of his phone is making his chest ache (more than just a little bit), too.

 **[8:58 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm pretty sure I don't want anything more than that, Blue.

 _Liar_.

 **[8:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : So, how's all of that going to work...?

 **[8:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That's kind of what I'm trying to get at.

 **[8:59 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I never got to read any of the _fine print_ , y'see.

 **[9:00 PM]** **blue7se** : You _do_ have trust issues.

No shit, Sherlock7SE.

At least they're finally on the same page again now.

 **[9:00 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : There's no need to rub it in like that, man.

 **[9:00 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm very much aware, OK?

Fortunately (for everyone involved), Blue's next reply is practically a non-sequitur.

 **[9:00 PM]** **blue7se** : Look, I'm not entirely unsympathetic...

 **[9:00 PM]** **blue7se** : I'll even throw you a bone: Pengin and I have an agreement.

Rin's eyes widen in surprise. Instantly. And completely of their own accord.

"An agreement...?" He hears himself echo, then, just as instinctively. He's been low-key wondering about _that_ aspect of his new friends' relationship ever since he'd read the last couple of lines on Pengin's profile page:

 

> **_Lastly, I'd really love to get to know all of my wonderful Pen-pals★ a little better. Making new friends is sooo much fun!! (ᗒᗨᗕ) Just don't try to send me any nudes right off the bat, OK? That goes for invitations to meet up, too. Exciting requests are the one and only way to my heart... (*＾∀ﾟ)ъ_ **
> 
> _**P.S. I've got my hands pretty full with my beloved Blue-chan, so don't get discouraged if I don't reply to your messages straight (hahahaha!!!) away. I always seem to be biting off a little more than I can chew, don't I...? (⌒o−)c＝Ɛ** _

 

 **[9:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm listening.

 **[9:01 PM]** **blue7se** : You're still wondering what I'm doing here on X-SPOT, right?

Even though it sounds like an odd cross between a rhetorical question and yet another non-sequitur, Rin can't shake off the urge to provide Blue with an extra little nudge. In the right direction.

 **[9:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Mhm...

 **[9:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You never did elaborate on that. We ended up getting a little side-tracked.

 **[9:01 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : You're clearly not in it for the dick pictures, though.

 **[9:02 PM]** **blue7se** : Definitely not.

 **[9:02 PM]** **blue7se** : And I'm not here to keep an eye on Pengin's activities, either. Contrary to popular belief.

 **[9:02 PM]** **blue7se** : Like I said before: I created my account to support him.

There's a short pause, then, as Blue slowly but surely revs himself up for his third blitz of the evening.

 **[9:04 PM]** **blue7se** : I've never been all that great at using words to express myself, so I just tried... _showing_... him. Instead.

 **[9:04 PM]** **blue7se** : I wanted him to know that I'm completely on board with everything. I still do.

 **[9:04 PM]** **blue7se** : That's my _'raison d'être'_.

 **[9:04 PM]** **blue7se** : On X-SPOT.

 **[9:04 PM]** **blue7se** : To make sure he never has to question that.

Fu— _uck_. There isn't a single thing about this guy that isn't absolutely fucking _lethal_ , is there?

Not even one.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

And it's becoming increasingly clear now: Rin's foolish — and completely inexperienced, to boot — heart never even stood a chance.

 **[9:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : FML.

 **[9:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Again.

 **[9:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Have you ever heard of the phrase _'relationship goals'_ , Blue...?

 **[9:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I can't even think of anything else to say.

 **[9:05 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I feel so attacked.

Luckily, Blue kindly refrains from poking fun at Rin's embarrassingly tongue-tied reaction. In favour of barrelling straight on. In a way he hadn't even seemed capable of only a handful of hours ago.

 **[9:06 PM]** **blue7se** : That's where our agreement comes in, I guess.

 **[9:06 PM]** **blue7se** : Along with some... _rules_.

 **[9:06 PM]** **blue7se** : Pengin'd probably prefer to call them guidelines, though.

Huh. That's all kinds of intriguing, isn't it?

And very thought-provoking, as well. Because it's definitely starting to sound like Blue7SE's relationship with Pengin4U isn't nearly as conventional as it might seem (at a glance). In fact, there might even be some truth to Rin's — steadily rising, to be honest — suspicion that it's _an open_ _one_. He's never really bought into their _'friends-with-benefits'_ act, after all. It's clearly just as fake as the straight-laced image Rin is constantly attempting to project in public. If not even more so.

The only question, now, is this one: "You're going to clamp shut again any moment now, aren't you?"

 **[9:07 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : That makes sense.

 **[9:07 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Communication's always key, right?

 **[9:07 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thank you for trusting me with all this, Blue.

Even though Rin is fully aware of the fact that they're currently playing a virtual — and inescapably _messed-up_ — Crocodile Game with each other, it actually turns out to have been the right thing to say. Surprisingly.

 **[9:08 PM]** **blue7se** : I'm not done yet.

Despite everything, Rin snorts. Very loudly. And his earlier smile is firmly back in place again, now, as well.

 **[9:08 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Right.

 **[9:08 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _Sorry_.

 **[9:08 PM]** **blue7se** : Ugh.

 **[9:09 PM]** **blue7se** : Whatever.

 **[9:09 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : So...?

 **[9:10 PM]** **blue7se** : I changed my mind.

 **[9:10 PM]** **blue7se** : You're a pest.

Rin's toothy smile merely widens into an all-out grin, though.

It's fun.

He's having _fun_.

 **[9:10 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Hey, now.

 **[9:10 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Don't be like that, _buddy_.

 **[9:10 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : We were just getting along so well, too.

 **[9:11 PM]** **blue7se** : Don't call me that.

 **[9:11 PM]** **blue7se** : It sounds _awful_.

 **[9:11 PM]** **blue7se** : Just how old did you say you were again, Dolphinkicker?

For the second time in just as many days, Rin finds himself downright chuckling at the screen of his phone. Because a couple of things are — slowly but surely — becoming pretty damn obvious now:

  * In spite of his openly stand-offish stance, Blue7SE is quickly proving to be an unmistakably curious creature. When it really comes down to it, anyway.
  * In fact, the guy is quite clearly just as interested in the details of Rin's private life as Rin is about _his_. Whether that curiosity is entirely for his own benefit (or solely for _Pengin's_ sake), though, still remains to be seen. Even so, Rin isn't above making an educated guess.
  * And, perhaps even more damningly, Rin's recent actions — along with the image of his bare torso, of course — sure seem to have triggered a distinct _change_ between them.



For example: Blue's grudging interest in Rin's age is definitely a little softer around the edges now. It's less demanding. And a little more openly goading, instead.

Cordial.

Practically benign.

Considerate, even.

_Friendly._

**[9:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Nice try.

 **[9:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I almost fell for it!

 **[9:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Look, I'll make you a deal: a secret for a secret.

 **[9:12 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : How about it, _mate_?

And — just as a 99.9% hopelessly smitten Rin had heedlessly come to expect — Blue's response does not disappoint. In the least.

 **[9:13 PM]** **blue7se** : If I play along, will it get you to quit doing _that_...?

 **[9:13 PM]** **blue7se** : I'm still waiting for an alternative to Arena's Cobra Mirror, too.

 **[9:13 PM]** **blue7se** : You'd better pay up.

As a result, the intensity of Rin's smile is simply off the charts.

 **[9:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'm not making any promises.

 **[9:13 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : It's worth a shot, though. Isn't it?

Unsurprisingly, it takes a rather alarmingly large amount of Rin's will-power to keep himself from throwing in a teasing little wink. _À la Pengin4U_.

 **[9:14 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : As for my unparalleled expertise in gear, I'd gladly throw that in as a bonus.

 **[9:14 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Just for you, y'know.

 **[9:14 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : _S w e e t h e a r t._

 **[9:15 PM]** **blue7se** : You're gross.

 **[9:15 PM]** **blue7se** : I don't know why I'm still talking to you.

 **[9:15 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : C'mooon, Blue...

 **[9:15 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Just throw me another bone, OK?

 **[9:15 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : We both know you're far from _shy_.

That seems to do the trick.

Rin distractedly reaches an arm out to place his empty plate on the bedside table, right next to the remote of the air-conditioning, and sets about making himself a little more comfortable on the bed. In anticipation.

 **[9:16 PM]** **blue7se** : It's not like I don't know what you're angling for here, Dolphinkicker.

 **[9:16 PM]** **blue7se** : Didn't I tell you to stop fishing?

 **[9:16 PM]** **blue7se** : Those things are need-to-know. And as far as I'm aware: _you_ don't need to know.

Despite the undeniably final tone of Blue's words, Rin immediately decides to hold off on typing out another provocative reply (or two).

And it pays off, too.

 **[9:16 PM]** **blue7se** : Not _everything_ , at least.

All right.

That's his cue.

 **[9:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Now we're talkin'!

 **[9:17 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Don't you dare stop there, Blue.

Unfortunately, though, Blue no longer seems to be feeling quite as at ease with the topic of conversation as he was before. And the wait for his next message is a particularly brutal one, as well.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : Pengin and I aren't a package deal.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : Not exactly.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : I know it may seem like that to you, but we're _not_.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : Even though we've been together for a long time, we're still separate entities.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : With our own motivations. And our own spaces.

 **[9:20 PM]** **blue7se** : I can't speak for Pengin, but I won't be reporting anything back to him. Including your picture. If that _is_ what you're so concerned about.

And just when Rin thinks Blue is _100% done_ — with absolutely everything (and then some) — the guy determinedly adds one more thing:

 **[9:21 PM]** **blue7se** : Unless I think it's something he really needs to know about, I'd prefer it if you told him everything on your own terms. And time.

 **[9:21 PM]** **blue7se** : You can trust him.

 **[9:21 PM]** **blue7se** : You can trust _us_.

In an instant, Rin's vision blurs (and his phone nearly slides right out of his numb hands).

His throat feels impossibly tight. Like there's a lump in it. In the shape of his heart.

And then everything he's currently feeling simply _overflows_.

 **[9:22 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I... I'll try to work on it, OK?

He really means it, too. Because he wants to trust Blue — and Pengin, as well, of course — so very badly. It's nothing short of a physical ache. And it _burns_.

His eyes.

His chest.

Every last inch of his skin.

His entire being is alight with the desire to forge a lasting connection. The nigh overwhelming need to confide in someone (and be confided in, in return). The hunger. The determination.

It's fucking _terrifying_.

 **[9:22 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Thank you.

 **[9:22 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I know that doesn't even come close to cutting it, but... _I mean it_.

 **[9:22 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : For what it's worth: I do have every intention of upholding my end of the bargain.

 **[9:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : I'll talk to Pengin. ASAP.

 **[9:23 PM]** **dolphinkicker** : Tomorrow. Or on Thursday, if it ends up not working out.

And then Rin will attempt to fill Pengin4U in on everything the poor guy's been missing out on these last couple of hours. Starting with Rin's hare-brained _'selfie'_ , and ending with Rin's equally foolish decision to see this entire thing through to the bitter end: maintaining a friendship with the infuriating enigma he's so very close to falling head-over-heels in love with, and said enigma's oddly endearing hurricane of a housemate.

 **[9:24 PM]** **blue7se** : Good.

That's it.

That's the end of the rising tension between them (and the gradually building pressure behind Rin's eyes is completely gone, as well).

Just like that.

Except:

 **[9:23 PM]** **blue7se** : Where's that secret you promised me, though?

 **[9:23 PM]** **blue7se** : Don't forget about the goggles, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **ABOUT THE STYLE CHANGE OF THE SCREENCAP IN THIS CHAPTER** : This is probably going to sound _really_ strange, but back while I was working on the 4th chapter... I actually made the 'chatbox' function on X-STOP (which is based on X-TUBE) up. It didn't exist. Yet. Lo and behold, though, it suddenly exists _now_. It's a brand new feature. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
> 
> So, yeah, that's definitely going to make things a little easier.
> 
> Anyway, at the risk of sounding like Pengin4U: PLEASE FEED ME WITH YOUR THOUGHTS. REQUESTS ARE NICE TOO. I haven't been a very good girl lately, but I promise I'm nowhere near over this AU yet.
> 
>  **EDIT ON 31/01/2017:** It appears as if Tumblr... just... randomly... decided to delete 90% of the images I'd uploaded there for At First Click. I re-uploaded them  & fixed the links as soon as I could, but it's totally possible somebody read the older chapters without realising there's supposed to be more images. Just for the record, there should be 25 images in total (as of this chapter). I'm really sorry about the hiccup, you guys! I'll try to keep a closer eye on it from now on.


End file.
